If You Like Cranking Music in the Harsh Outdoors, Here’s Your Speaker

When I load up the truck for an outdoor adventure, almost all the gear is durable, waterproof, and able to stand up to the most extreme conditions out there. So why would my Bluetooth speaker be any different? Just like my bomb-proof cooler and indestructible tent, which can handle the worst that nature will throw at them, my Turtlebox Gen 2 Speaker speaker is as tough as nails, as waterproof and drop-proof as it gets, and loud to boot.

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There are a ton of Bluetooth speakers supposedly built for the backcountry. Most of them are fine for sitting around the tailgate or campfire, but that's where their hardy journey ends. Very few can actually contend with the sort of harsh, wet, and mucky conditions I find myself in. For a serious camping trip or fishing expedition, my go-to speaker is a Turtlebox. It's precisely designed for the roughest and toughest outdoors.

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Tough and Rugged

The term “overbuilt” is thrown around a lot these days to emphasize how solid a device is. The Turtlebox Gen 2 is one of the few outdoor speakers that lives up to that qualifier. It's drop-proof up to 10 feet and as waterproof as it gets—as in you can submerge it in a lake up to a couple feet and it will keep on playing. The hardshell exterior will stand up to the worst dirt, dust, and rocks without missing a beat. 

Encased in a tough plastic shell, the speaker is built for impact—and mobility, with lash points to tie it down to a boat or truck. The internal lithium-ion battery lasts for more than a day, 25 hours, per charge. Its heft, clocking in at 10 pounds, is a testament to the brick-like quality of the speaker. That said, if you're looking for something compact, this isn't exactly it. At a foot long and almost 9 inches tall, the Turtlebox Gen 2 resembles an old-school boom box more than those smaller Bluetooth speakers—which tend to break when they're really tested. 

In fact, this one was devised by a group of adventurous guys living life hard in the Buffalo Bayou of Houston, TX, who kept busting every Bluetooth speaker they tried—until they set out to build their own. Out of the humid harsh coast came the Turtlebox, a truly indestructible marine-grade speaker that can stand up to virtually anything.

Those creators recall that they were onto something after flipping a boat on the Colorado River, sending everything floating downstream—including their newly-designed speaker. Eventually, it was found way down the river (still playing music!) by a fellow adventurer—who returned it to them, and said he had to have one for himself.

I’ve heard about fishing guides who have lost a Turtlebox on a lake, only to find it bobbing by the shore days later. When they took it home, plugged it in, and recharged it, the speaker worked like new.

It's like a speaker built into an ammo canister, solid and seamless. There is a control panel on top with buttons to adjust the music and Bluetooth pairing. A clasp unclips to allow for charging via a standard USB cord. The Bluetooth 5.0 supports audio from any Bluetooth-enabled device, plus left and right multiple stereo pairing options.

Hi-Fi, Loud Sound

A speaker is only as good as it sounds—and the Turtlebox sounds amazing. One of my first experiences with this speaker was syncing it to my phone and turning on Chris Stapleton—which was so loud and clear, it was like hearing the album in an entirely new way. My wife had to tell me to turn it down so the neighbors wouldn’t complain.

I’m an avid vinyl collector, and I listen to music on a high-fidelity record player all the time while writing. The Turtlebox rivals the crisp sound quality of my hi-fi system—and is, in fact, touted as a hi-fi speaker. Typically, I wouldn't use such a term for a Bluetooth speaker, but it's merited in this case. On my Turtlebox, I hear notes that are otherwise garbled on headphones or a smaller Bluetooth speaker. 

The reason it sounds so good? Under the shell, a one-inch titanium tweeter creates crystal clear audio, paired with a 6 x 9 woofer driver for deep bass and powerful midrange notes. The sound frequency is actually a curved design that's tailored for an outdoor listening experience.

Given the speaker's forceful sound quality, it’s recommended that you set it around 10 to 15 feet away on a truck bed or an elevated surface to fill your campsite or boat with tunes. 

Bottom Line

When it comes to a truly rugged outdoor speaker, the Turtlebox Audio Gen 2 is my vote for the best Bluetooth speaker on the market—and that's after trying out many of them over the years. For use that can hold up to the roughest conditions, there's really no comparable version out there. This, combined with pristine, hi-fi audio quality that can be enjoyed in wind and rain makes it the best backcountry Bluetooth speaker on the market.

The one drawback to this speaker (aside from its girth, if you need something small and light) is the cost. At $400, it's a pricier Bluetooth speaker, but you'll be getting what you pay for in this case. Unless you lose it down the river (go with the bright orange option to help avoid that), you won't need to replace it anytime soon.