The best outdoor speaker for your 2024 tailgate parties, tested and reviewed

Rated battery life: 6 hours | Multi-speaker: No | Power bank: No | Waterproof rating: N/A | Karaoke: Yes

PROS: Inexpensive; cool retro design; lightweight and luggable; FM tuner; supports karaoke

CONS: Not very loud; short battery life; no water-resistance

How good can a $50 tailgate speaker possibly be? Surprisingly good, though not without a few shortcomings. The iLive ISB380B makes a great first impression with its retro LED display and control knobs and modern, color-changing lighting effects. It's also a karaoke machine: Just plug in a microphone (not included) and you can turn your tailgate into a sing-along.

There's unmatched portability here as well: Like a carry-on suitcase, the ISB380B has an extendable handle and a pair of wheels. It's also surprisingly lightweight (a little over 5 pounds) if you end up needing to carry it, and there's a convenient handle on top for that purpose.

Why so light? Small battery, for one thing: This wireless speaker runs on a rechargeable that iLive says is good for anywhere from 2.5 to 6 hours depending on volume, with a total charge time of 4-5 hours. That's not great; every other rechargeable model here can play considerably longer. If you like long tailgate parties, this speaker probably won’t cut it.

In addition to pairing via Bluetooth to your phone, the ISB380B can play songs from a USB drive or microSD card. I'm not sure those are widely used options these days, but they're nice to have. There's also an FM tuner built in, though you'll need an audio cable (not included) to serve as the antenna.

Given how light this midrange outdoor speaker is and how low the price, I didn't expect great sound quality. But you know what? It sounds pretty good. There's not a ton of bass, and overall it doesn't get super loud — but it didn't distort at maximum volume (a fairly common issue with budget-priced speakers). I found it a welcome companion during a fall garage clean-out.

My only real complaint is with the warranty, a relatively short 90 days. That aside, the iLive ISB380B is a nifty-looking outdoor speaker that feels like a steal at this price.

Rated battery life: 16 hours | Multi-speaker: Yes | Power bank: No | Waterproof rating: IP67 | Karaoke: No

PROS: Great sound for its size; impressive battery life; often discounted

CONS: Not powerful enough for big outdoor spaces

Not everyone wants music to take center stage at the tailgate. If you prefer background sounds that still allow for conversation, EarFun's compact, highly portable UBoom L might be just the ticket. 

Weighing in at just 1.4 pounds, the UBoom is the smallest, lightest speaker in the group, yet it can keep the music flowing for up to 16 hours. The multi-pairing option makes especially good sense here, as you can position two of these for bigger, louder sound and true stereo separation — all without spending a lot. (Speaking of price, the UBoom L is often listed with a discount coupon, meaning you may get out the door for about $65 instead of $80.)

Though not strictly an "outdoor" speaker, the UBoom L has a special mode just for those environments. Push a button and it amplifies both the bass and loudness, the better to be heard in open spaces. Of course, you can use that mode indoors as well, which I found I preferred.

Courtesy of its two 55mm drivers and passive radiators, the UBoom L can crank out 28 watts of power — more than many speakers in this size and price range. This matters most outdoors, where open areas can swallow up your music. You won't be able to hear it well from across a field, but within, say, a 20-foot perimeter, it has the juice.

It sounds quite good too, delivering impressive balance and bass for its size. EarFun promises a solid 16 hours of battery life on a single charge, more than enough to last a day (and night) at the stadium. And because it's water-resistant, you don't have to worry about splashes or even dunks. (Real-world test: I plunged this underwater and it kept right on playing.)

Make no mistake, the UBoom L is a pipsqueak compared with some of the speakers in this roundup. But depending on your party, it might be just the right accoutrement.

Rated battery life: 30 hours | Multi-speaker: Yes | Power bank: Yes | Waterproof rating: IPX7 | Karaoke: No

PROS: Superb sound; nifty LED lightshow; doubles as mobile charger; exceptional battery life; affordably priced

CONS: No microphone for speakerphone calls; external-device charging requires a USB-C cable; surprisingly heavy 

The StormBox Blast has just about everything you could want from a tailgate speaker: great portability (thanks, '80s-boom-box-style handle), incredible battery life (up to 30 hours, which blows away the competition) and excellent sound. Two tweeters and two midwoofers combine to crank out a hefty 90 watts of audio goodness. Everything I played on this thing felt big.

Maybe it's because the actual speaker is pretty big as well, weighing in at about 12 pounds. That makes it among the heaviest players in the group, though there's an added benefit to the arm workout you'll get from carrying it: The Blast doubles as a power bank, with a USB-C port on hand to charge your phone or another device. I do wish it had a Type-A USB port as well, just to expand its compatibility.

The StormBox Blast comes ready to party: It's IPX7-rated waterproof (you could literally submerge it and it would keep playing) and outfitted with color-changing LEDs that bounce in time with the music. A clearly marked button on the control panel toggles between two lighting modes and no lighting at all.

Speaking of controls, the Blast is a breeze to use, but it's made even better by Tribit's companion app, which lets you choose lighting modes, check the battery level and apply equalizer settings. There are auto-shutdown modes available as well to help preserve battery life. And if you really want to liven things up, you can pair two of these things for a 180-watt wall of sound.

Granted you get 160 watts from a single JBL Boombox 3 — but it's also more than twice the price. If you don't need that much power and do want to keep to a more modest budget, the StormBox Blast is an excellent choice. It's built for the outdoors but dressed to party.

Rated battery life: 12 hours | Multi-speaker: Yes | Power bank: No | Waterproof rating: IP67 | Karaoke: No

PROS: Big sound in a small package; nifty 360-degree LED lightshow; excellent companion app; integrated carrying strap

CONS: On the expensive side given its size and power; no playback controls on the speaker

Do your daytime tailgates often last well into the night? The Pulse 5 puts on a lightshow that's even better than the Tribit Stormbox Blast's. It not only spans the full length of the speaker but also wraps all the way around it: Stick it in the center of your gathering and everyone gets the same great view.

The Pulse 5 looks like a shiny black thermos, at least until it's turned on. Then it becomes the LED-powered equivalent of a lava lamp, with cool morphing colors and your choice of a half dozen light-show modes. You can toggle between these using a button on the speaker itself or the JBL Portable app, which is also home to a wealth of settings and other options — all logically organized and very easy to understand. With a few taps you can set not only the light mode, but also brightness and tempo.

Less useful for tailgates but maybe nice if you're camping, the app offers five ambient sounds you can play as well: waves, forest sounds, crackling fire and so on. A simple slider lets you set a countdown timer for this sound. And I love that you can toggle more than one at a time — forest sounds and a babbling brook, for example.

Simplicity carries over to the speaker itself, where you'll find a narrow control panel with clearly labeled buttons: power, Bluetooth, light mode and multi-speaker. Just below that, a battery gauge and the USB-C charging port. Although there's no rubber gasket protecting that port, the Pulse 5 carries an IP67 waterproof rating. That means if any liquid gets splashed into the port, it shouldn't harm the speaker — but you'll need to let it dry out before attempting to charge.

Notably absent from the on-speaker controls: volume, play/pause and track skip. It's up to your phone or tablet to manage all that, which can be a hassle if someone other than you needs to quickly pause the music or adjust the volume.

That's my only real usability complaint with the JBL Pulse 5, but I do have a financial one as well: $250 seems awfully steep for a speaker of this size. Make no mistake, it sounds terrific, with impressive bass response and enough wattage for nearby tailgaters to hear everything. But unless you really want that light show, you can get just as much power (or more) for less money.

Rated battery life: 24 hours | Multi-speaker: Yes | Power bank: Yes | Waterproof rating: IPX4 | Karaoke: No

PROS: Superb soundstage; styled for indoor use as well; oversize touch controls

CONS: Expensive; all-white exterior could get grimy outdoors

At first blush, the Hyberboom doesn't look like the typical tailgate speaker. This big white monolith seems more at home in a living room, and indeed I like the way it looks in mine. That said, it's plenty outdoor-friendly, with its 24-hour battery, IPX4 rating (spills or splashes won't damage anything, but sand might) and cleverly designed handle.

If you're looking at the photo, you're probably thinking, "What handle?" You wouldn't know it's there until you looked closely: There's a thick rubber strap embedded into one of the corner edges; slide it up a few inches and it bulges out so you can get a grip. Then you can slide it back down to become flush with the speaker again. Neat! Effective too.

Any other concerns about the Hyperboom's tailgate-readiness vanish the moment you tap play: This speaker has power, with plenty of bass behind it and an adaptive, microphone-powered equalizer that adjusts the audio depending on where you're listening. You can also customize equalizer settings via the Ultimate Ears app. (One thing I especially love about that app: It lets you turn the speaker on or off from afar.) I found the sound quality extremely well-balanced overall and appreciably "big" without ever growing harsh.

The speaker's powerful battery provides playtime of up to 24 hours, according to Ultimate Ears, and there's a Type-A USB port on hand for charging external devices. Speaking of which, you can pair additional speakers — anything from the Boom, Megaboom or Hyperboom lineup — to further extend your tailgate's range and power.

The only real challenge here is the price: At $450, the Hyperboom is by far the most expensive speaker in the group. And if you choose the white model, any long-term outdoor use is likely to result in some grunge. Even so, I can't deny the appeal of the Hyperboom, which combines indoor-friendly design with outdoor-ready oomph.

Rated battery life: 24 hours | Multi-speaker: Yes | Power bank: Yes | Waterproof rating: IP67 | Karaoke: No

PROS: Superb sound quality; very loud; simple on-speaker controls; fully dustproof and waterproof

CONS: Expensive; heavy; unstable base; less audio power when running on battery

If you're old enough to remember the iconic portable tape decks of the 1980s, you'll appreciate JBL's choice of name: The Boombox 3 looks like, well, a boombox, though good luck hefting it onto your shoulder. This thing is heavy, tipping the scales at nearly 15 pounds. At least there's a handle for relatively easy toting.

Ironically, there's nothing boxy about the Boombox 3: It's all curves, a big black (or camouflage) tube that, from afar, could be mistaken for a duffel bag. I like the design save for one oddity: The small, flat base. Although it has rubber feet for gription, there's not enough surface area to keep the whole unit from tipping over if placed on an incline (like at the beach or a park, for example). Flatbed, flat ground — wherever you put the Boombox, it better be flat.

It doesn't have to be dry, though: The Boombox 3 can withstand splashes, dunks, dust and just about everything else. This beast packs more audio oomph than any other speaker in this group — the better to keep your tailgate party from getting drowned out by other tailgate parties. Credit for that goes to two tweeters, two mid-range drivers and a "racetrack-shaped" subwoofer, which combine to deliver a whopping 180 watts. For straight-up loudness, few other standalone speakers come close. It's worth noting, though, that the Boombox 3 downshifts slightly when running on battery power, producing 136 watts instead. Make no mistake, you still get a veritable wall of top-quality sound; you just don't get all of it unless you're plugged into an AC outlet.

It would be nice if JBL let you decide between power and battery life, but I found no such setting in the JBL companion app. In fact, it doesn't do much beyond displaying battery life, updating firmware and managing PartyBoost (connecting multiple JBL speakers to play together). There's an equalizer, but no presets and only three adjustable settings: bass, mid and treble.

Honestly, I'm fine with that. This is a tailgate speaker, built for big sound, not audiophile fine-tuning. In my tests it produced wonderfully deep bass and crisp high-end notes, easily earning it a top spot among tailgate speakers. Only the high price is hard to swallow.