A $15 Bluetooth Speaker That Sounds Good and Lasts 80 Hours

YOU CAN USE most nice speakers on your patio— if you have outlets in reach—but can you trust them around day-drinking parents or sticky-fingered children who might bump them into a pool or sandbox? Rest easier with a portable Bluetooth speaker designed to survive water, sand and dirt. In the past, sound quality and portability were often mutually exclusive. More recently, manufacturers have found ways to outfit still-totable shapes with beefier sonic components. Here, five that are sealed well enough against water and grime to sing through any outdoor listening scenario this summer.

THE EXPENDABLE

At 3 inches square and about the weight of a large lemon, the IKEA Vappeby won’t blow you away with sound. But it’s much punchier than it looks and boasts a battery that can last up to 80 hours. The plastic shell has one button that handles power, pairing and pausing depending on how you press it (the moves are surprisingly well-illustrated in the manual). Get two, knowing that if you lose one, you’re only out the cost of a couple of tubes of sunscreen. $15, Ikea.com