The last time I bought a waterproof speaker, it didn’t last long. Oh – it held up to water, alright. I took it to the lake and strapped it to a float, careful not to drop it in the water. It got splashed and soaked and did just fine, although the battery died after a few hours.
On the ride home, the speaker died, as well, when I went over a bump and it flew out of my bike basket. It shattered on the ground into a million unfixable pieces and that was the end of that.
“The Everything-Proof Speaker”
When I started shopping for another waterproof speaker, I was determined to find one that would last. I found plenty that would stand up to water but had no guarantees of being rugged or able to accompany me on mountain bike rides into tough terrain. A speaker that put up with an entire year’s worth of swimming, hiking, biking, and partying: that’s what I wanted.
When I read a review of the Altec Lansing Lifejacket 3 as “the everything-proof speaker,” it sounded absolutely perfect. The website describes it as waterproof, shockproof, and snowproof, which covers everywhere I’d like to take it. I had it shipped and quickly got to work checking it out.
Compact, Convenient, and Rugged
For its first outing, I took the Lifejacket 3 back to the lake. Before I even got a chance to turn it on and try it out, my buddy stumbled while carrying it and sent it crashing into the rocks around the edge of the water. We were all silent as I powered it up and connected it…and heard it spring to life with amazing power!
I left my phone on the shore, utilizing the speaker’s 50-foot range to enjoy tunes as we splashed around and cooled off. Another fantastic feature we discovered about the Lifejacket 3 (we accidentally discovered this when someone flipped over the raft it was sitting on): it floats! Very cool!
Trail Rides and House Parties
One of the reasons I opted for the Lifejacket 3 is its universal mounting bracket that makes it easy to secure to my bike. Even though it can take a bruising doesn’t mean I want to send it flying every time I ride. Its up to 30 hours of battery life have accompanied me on a couple of long adventures so far.
Another way I can’t wait to use it? The speaker has a House Party function that allows it to pair with compatible speakers to get a bigger, more amazing sound. I’m pretty pleased to have an outdoor speaker that can be expanded for at-home entertainment, as well!
So far, I’m really satisfied with the Lifejacket 3. It was well-worth the money and has far outpaced any of the other supposedly “rugged” speakers I’ve owned.
