BRAVEN BRV-PRO
$149.99

Rugged speaker stands up to rigors

Many GoPros and other accessories are marketed toward the summer, where durability and resistance to water are key to outdoors fun. But the same durability can get people through everyday commuting in the winter months.

Two portable Bluetooth speakers can definitely be described as rugged.

The Braven BRV-Pro measures 6.4 by 1.5 by 2.8 inches and weighs 1.44 pounds. It can play up to 15 hours of music with its rechargeable lithium-ion battery.

The BRV-Pro is IPX7 waterproof, and it has a built-in microphone so you can use it as a speakerphone with a connected smartphone. The play/pause button also acts to accept or hang up calls.

The Braven BRV-Pro has a removable top plate so you can mount such accessories as a larger battery, LED light, stacking plate (so you can group two or more speakers for more sound), a solar panel (for all-day playing/charging) and an action mount that enables you to put the speaker on most GoPro-compatible action mounts.

The ports of the BRV-Pro live under a hinged-door with a secure latching system. For the speaker to survive water, the door must be closed and no cables can be connected.

The bottom line is that waterproof is good, but Braven has other speakers that sound better if you can keep them dry.

ALTEC LANSING LIFEJACKET 2
$149.99

Ready for all the elements

The LifeJacket 2 is a beefy speaker, weighing in at 2 pounds and measuring 7.5 by 3.12 by 2.82 inches. The speaker is IP67 rated to be waterproof, sand-proof, snow-proof, dust-proof, shock-proof and it floats.

It has a built-in voice. There are only three buttons on the top of the LifeJacket 2, volume up and down and a power button that also accepts or ends calls and invokes Siri (press three times).

Around back, a small rubber door conceals the ports, and like the Braven, the LifeJacket 2 is only waterproof if you have the port door closed and sealed. On the bottom is a ¼-inch threaded accessory mount point.

This one seems to be ready for anything you can throw at it.

DALLAS MORNING NEWS