The Best Waterproof Speakers of 2022

Nothing can enrich your travels quite like a portable speaker. It can pump you up on your bike ride, let you relish in the joy of a perfect beach-day playlist, or liven up a backyard pool party. But having a travel speaker that's waterproof is probably the device's most critical feature — you don't want to be caught off guard by the tide or the sky opening up during your picnic.

In terms of overall sound quality accompanied by water and dust resistance, we're the most impressed by the Ultimate Ears Megaboom 3. However, it's not the best waterproof speaker for everyone. Read on for other waterproof speakers, including ones that are more budget-friendly, options perfect for cycling, and battery stamina that will blow you away.

These are the best waterproof speakers to play the soundtrack to your travels.

Best Overall: Ultimate Ears Megaboom 3 at Amazon
Best Budget: JBL Go 3 at Amazon
Best for the Beach: Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 2 at Amazon
Best for the Pool: Blufree Shower at Amazon
Best for Showers: JBL Clip 4 at Amazon
Best Party Speaker: Ultimate Ears Hyperboom at Amazon
Best for Cycling: Tribit Stormbox Micro 2 at Amazon
Best Smart Speaker: Sonos Roam at Amazon
Best Battery Life: Bang & Olufsen Beosound Explore at Amazon
Best with Power Bank: JBL Charge 5 at Amazon

T+L's Top Picks

Best Overall: Ultimate Ears Megaboom 3

View at Amazon ($128)

Also available at Ultimate Ears and Best Buy

Why We Love It: It has excellent 360-degree sound and top-of-the-line water and dust-proofing.

What to Consider: It's on the heavier side for portable speakers and there's no speakerphone.

Ultimate Ears makes some of the best portable Bluetooth speakers available, and its durable Megaboom 3 is a standout. Its cylindrical design blasts audio on all sides for an impressively long 15 hours, and a built-in subwoofer gets the heart thumping. At IP67, the highest rating for water and dust resistance among speakers we reviewed, you won't have to worry about beach sand getting in and causing chaos. The speaker can even last for 30 minutes submerged in up to 3 feet of water. Oh, and it floats, so you'll never have to tearfully watch it sink into the depths. It'll resurface after a drop to deliver a rich, crisp sound as if it was brand new.

Another unique aspect of the Megaboom 3 is its "magic button," which allows you to skip to the next of four playlists uploaded to the Ultimate Ears app with a long press. If you're on a trip with multiple Megaboom owners, you can also connect the speakers to make your music really pack a punch. And designers knew one sound setting doesn't fit all: the app also lets you adjust bass and treble levels.

Battery life: 20 hours‎ | Wireless range: 150 feet | Dimensions: 3.2 x 3.2 x 8.75 inches | Weight: 2.04 pounds

Best Budget: JBL Go 3

View at Amazon ($50)

Also available at JBL and Walmart

Why We Love It: It's pocket-sized with IP67 resistance.

What to Consider: It doesn't get very loud and has limited battery life.

At less than half a pound, the JBL Go 3 is a tiny speaker you can take everywhere. The budget-friendly device is compact enough to be carried in most purses. It has an IP67 rating, which means it's waterproof and protected against dust or sand. Plus, its design allows you to stand it up on a table or clip it on to, well, anything via the rope loop (carabiner not included). It comes in eight color designs, including pink, teal, and camouflage. With USB-C charging (it fully charges in 2.5 hours), the JBL Go 3 is a beloved, dependable speaker that's ready for sound duty no matter where you are.

Battery life:‎ 5 hours | Wireless range: 30 feet | Dimensions: 3.4 x 1.6 x 2.7 inches | Weight: 7.4 ounces

Best for the Beach: Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 2

View at Amazon ($80) Also available at Ultimate Ears and Best Buy

Also available at Ultimate Ears and Best Buy

Why We Love It: It delivers surprisingly great sound with impermeable durability — all in a tiny package.

What to Consider: There's no microphone nor smart capability.

The UE Wonderboom 2 is one of the best Bluetooth speakers on the market, period. At roughly the size of a baseball, it can survive a five-foot drop and has an IP67 rating, but you won't even have to be cautious of it dipping below 3 feet of water because it floats. It's small and light enough to leave plenty of space in your beach bag for other provisions, and comes with a short strap for easy carrying. With the speaker's special "outdoor boost" button, you can instantly optimize the sound for listening to while lounging on the shore.

Huge volume buttons make it easy to crank the party up or down when your favorite track hits, and if you press both buttons down simultaneously it'll allow you to check battery life. It can be used as a speakerphone when you receive a call (though a lack of microphone means you'll have to speak into your phone).

Battery life: 13 hours‎ | Wireless range: 100 feet | Dimensions: 3.68 x 3.68 x 4.02 inches | Weight: 15 ounces

Best for the Pool: Blufree Shower

View at Amazon ($37)

Also available at Newegg

Why We Love It: It's affordable and keeps the pool party hopping with changing colors.

What to Consider: It's rather small and the sound isn't spectacular.

Pool parties, meet the Blufree Shower. This low-cost speaker has an IPX7 so it'll handle the pool, splashing and rain. It floats on top of the water, and it keeps the party hopping with seven different color-changing themes and two flashing modes. Big buttons will be easy for the kids to change tracks — perhaps too easy come to think of it — and you can answer calls with a built-in microphone. The sound isn't spectacular, but for under $40, it's a great value.

Battery life:‎ 8 hours | Wireless range: 200 feet | Dimensions: 5.12 x 5.12 x 4.29 inches | Weight: 15.8 ounces

Best for Showers: JBL Clip 4

View at Amazon ($80)

Also available at JBL and REI

Why We Love It: It has rubberized ribs to avoid slippage.

What to Consider: The bass isn't the best.

From the shower to your backpack to your bicycle, the JBL Clip 4's carabiner makes it super convenient to play music or podcasts wherever you are. With an IP67 rating, it'll handle shower water without any problems, even if it's under direct contact. If lying flat on the side of the tub, rubberized ribs prevent it from slipping off, so go ahead and book that room with the jacuzzi. It comes in seven colors from basic black to a bright red. If you want something even smaller, the JBL Go 3 is comparable and costs $30 less.

Battery life:‎ 10 hours | Wireless range: 32 feet | Dimensions: | Weight: 8.4 ounces

Best Party Speaker: Ultimate Ears Hyperboom

View at Amazon ($450)

Also available at Ultimate Ears and Best Buy

Why We Love It: It has incredible sound for a full day of partying without having to recharge.

What to Consider: It's pricey and isn't dustproof.

This might not be a speaker to take on your next flight because it's relatively big and heavy, but the Ultimate Ears Hyperboom is a spectacular speaker for a backyard, rooftop or cottage party. It has phenomenal dynamic range as well as adaptive EQ that'll adjust depending on the space. It's three times as loud as our overall pick, the UE Megaboom 3, with six-and-a-half times the bass.

One knock on this speaker is that it just has an IPX4 rating, so it'll resist rain and splashes from clumsy partiers, but not if the water is consistently strong. It also doesn't protect against dust or sand. Still, this is the best-quality loud speaker with some level of waterproofing.

Battery life:‎ 24 hours | Wireless range: 150 feet | Dimensions: 7.5 x 7.5 x 14.33 inches | Weight: 13 pounds

Best for Cycling: Tribit Stormbox Micro 2

View at Amazon ($60)

Also available at Tribit

Why We Love It: Its rubber strap is perfect for handlebars.

What to Consider: The sound distorts at high volumes.

With its built-in rubber strap, Tribit's Stormbox Micro 2 attaches snugly to your handlebars, or it can fit easily on a bag strap or belt during a run. It's small enough to easily slip into a bag or even some pockets, making it extremely convenient to bring along wherever your biking adventures take you. If a storm rolls in, the tiny speaker holds its own with an IP67 rating against water and dust. Plus, it has big buttons that are easy to press on the go.

As for sound quality, there are certainly better speakers on the market, especially when it comes to bass, but it isn't bad and you can also adjust EQ settings with the app, which is rare for portable speakers at this price range.

Battery life: 12 hours‎ | Wireless range: 100 feet | Dimensions: 4.1 x 3.9 x 1.6 inches | Weight: 1.3 pounds

Best Smart Speaker: Sonos Roam

View at Amazon ($143)

Also available at Sonos

Why We Love It: It's stylish, durable, and the best portable smart speaker on the market.

What to Consider: It's pricey if you don't plan to use the smart network capability.

Okay, Google/Siri/Alexa, play excellent-sounding music that's protected against rain and dust. The portable, voice-controlled speaker from Sonos is compatible with all smart networks when connected to Wi-Fi. It's made of shock-absorbent material and has an IP67 rating, so it's rugged enough for even the most extreme of adventurers. But you wouldn't think so by looking at it, because the Sonos Roam is extremely light (just 7 ounces), sleek, and available in five stylish colors (olive, wave, sunset, lunar white and shadow black). The design also allows you to play music when the speaker is standing up or on its side.

Battery life:‎ 10 hours | Wireless range: 300 feet | Dimensions: 3.94 x 0.79 x 1.06 inches | Weight: 7.1 ounces

Best Battery Life: Bang & Olufsen Beosound Explore

View at Amazon ($157)

Also available at Bang & Olufsen

Why We Love It: It's tough and has the longest battery life of any speaker we reviewed.

What to Consider: It doesn't have a microphone or smart capability and the sound quality isn't as good as some other options in this price range.

Made of scratch-resistant aluminum, this top-of-the-line portable speaker from Denmark is built for trips to the wilderness. It'll last for a whopping 27 hours on a single charge and is IP67 waterproof, so if it gets sand on it, you can just dip it into a stream and clean it off. While it's not the smallest speaker, it's light at just 1.4 pounds and comes with a strap and a clip for easily attaching it to bags. The sound quality is a little lacking compared to other speakers for the price, but it's still very crisp and all five colors are currently on sale at Amazon.

Battery life:‎ 27 hours | Wireless range: 800 feet | Dimensions: 3.2 x 3.2 x 5 inches | Weight: 1.4 pounds

Related: The Best Portable Speakers

Best with Power Bank: JBL Charge 5

View at Amazon ($180)

Also available at JBL

Why We Love It: It can blast very loud sound.

What to Consider: It's heavy and pricey if you don't need the power bank.

JBL seems to have a portable speaker for every occasion, and it keeps up that tradition with this boombox that also acts as a power bank to charge your mobile devices. With 20 hours of battery life, an IP67 rating and loud, crisp sound, it's great for traveling — and as any frequent traveler knows, you can never have too many charging devices on a trip. The JBL Charge 5 comes with a carrying case, which is rare among the speakers we reviewed. However, it is on the heavier side (nearly 5 pounds), so you still might want to keep it for your backyard. To really liven the party, PartyBoost pairs with compatible JBL devices for a stereo sound experience.

Battery life:‎ 20 hours | Wireless range: 300 feet | Dimensions: 13.27 x 11.5 x 5.94 inches | Weight: 4.93 pounds

Tips for Buying a Waterproof Speaker

Look at the IP rating

Ingress Protection ratings (IP Ratings) were developed by the European Committee for Electro Technical Standardization and help you determine how much your electronics can withstand dust and water. The first digit after IP is for dust, so if it's an X or 0, it means it isn't protected at all against dust. The highest rating for dust is IP6, which means it's completely dust-tight. The second digit is for water. Common ratings for speakers we reviewed include IPX4, which protects against splashing, and IP67, which allows for immersion in one meter (3.2 feet) of water.

Think about battery life

You're probably in the habit of charging your phone every day, but it can be easy to forget to charge your speaker, especially when you're traveling — and it can be a real bummer if it dies while you're on the beach or in a park. So if you know you're forgetful about charging or want to spend the full day on the sand, look for a speaker with long battery life — 20 hours should do.

Remember sound quality

Many portable speakers are small, so you shouldn't expect them to provide loud sound unless your party is in a room the size of your bathroom. If you really like quality sound, you'll probably need a speaker that's a little bigger — bonus if you can control EQ levels with an app.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will sand hurt my waterproof speaker?

Keep an eye out for the IP rating. If it's IPX or IP0, that means it isn't dust-tight so sand would hurt your speaker. However, speakers with a rating of IP5 or IP6 are protected.

Can waterproof speakers go under water?

Again, the IP rating is your key signifier here. IPX7, IPX8 or IPX9K can be immersed in water for 30 minutes or longer.

Why Trust Travel + Leisure

For this article, writer Joel Balsam, a frequent traveler who has visited more than 50 countries, reviewed and selected from the speaker industry's best options. With more than a decade of experience as a freelancer, Joel has reported from five continents on a wide array of topics including travel, culture, language, environment, politics, technology, and business.

Up Next: The 14 Best Underwater Cameras

Love a great deal? Sign up for our T+L Recommends newsletter and we'll send you our favorite travel products each week.