April showers can lead to more than just May flowers if you like to be active outdoors in the spring. You might not mind a little sprinkle on your morning run or weekend in the park, but your electronics probably will. A typical phone, wireless speaker or camera can usually survive a brief encounter with water, but when you’re unsure what the weather’s going to bring, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Luckily, there are more options than ever for ensuring your electronics can endure extensive exposure to nature’s wrath. Here are five of our favorite water-resistant products for your spring adventures.
Smartphone
Your smartphone is your hub to any and all digital activities, from entertainment to productivity. If it gets soaked by a surprise shower or a dip in a puddle, you may suddenly find yourself without your music collection, workout tracking, communications and more. If you’ll be springing for a new smartphone this spring, consider choosing a waterproof model like the Samsung Galaxy S7. This high-end smartphone packs all of the great features you’d expect from a Samsung flagship smartphone (a quad-core processor, QHD AMOLED display, expandable storage, 4K video, and more) all wrapped in a resilient package. So not only do you get IP68 rating for dust and water-resistance—meaning the S7 can survive a dunk in up to 5 feet of water for up to 30 minutes—but you don’t have to sacrifice performance to get it.
Headphones
After a winter cooped up in the gym, a little rain probably won’t keep you runners, hikers and other outdoor athletes from getting out there and enjoying the warmer—if a bit wetter—weather. If you need your tunes to stay motivated, a weatherproof smartphone won’t be of much use if your headphones fizzle out. The Bose SoundSport in-ear headphones feature the company’s legendary audio quality and proprietary StayHear tips, for great sounding buds that won’t budge from your ears when you’re on the run. Plus, they’re designed to be weather resistant—which doubles as sweat resistance—so they should be okay with a brief spring shower.
Bluetooth Speaker
If you’re more into sharing tunes with your friends, headphones are a no-go. But you can still get big sound out of a not-so-big package, with a portable Bluetooth speaker like the Sony SRS-XB30. It easily stows in the pocket of a bag, but puts out room-filling sound. A monstrous battery gives you up to 24 hours of battery life, so you can listen every night on a multi-day adventure or just have one killer day-long shindig. Integrated lights add a little flash to your impromptu outdoor dance parties, and IPX5-level water resistance means the SRS-XB30 can also survive an unexpected shower.
Camera
The one product that needs almost no introduction, the GoPro action cam is your go-to for all-conditions adventure recording. Smaller and lighter than the original, the GoPro Hero5 Session 4K is also waterproof without the need for an external housing. From torrential downpours to a 33-foot deep trip below the ocean’s surface, the GoPro Hero5 will keep on ticking, filming everything in glorious Ultra High Definition. Or, capture 10-megapixel stills, one at a time or with 30 fps burst mode. Stick the Hero5 Session on your helmet, your board, your bag, or anywhere else you can imagine, without worrying about it getting wet. Plus, voice activation and smartphone control mean you can stay away from the wetness while your GoPro captures the action.
Activity Tracker
Just as it seems weird to go on a trip without documenting every moment of it, it’s rare to take a run or ride without your activity tracker strapped to your wrist, recording your workouts in vivid detail. But all devices are not created equally. If you want to jump in the pool or run in the rain, you’ll need to opt for a waterproof activity tracker like the Garmin vivofit 3. It provides a full complement of activity analysis, including pairing with a heart rate strap to give uber-accurate metrics on your exertion levels. It’s water resistant to 50 meters, so go swim some laps or even do some scuba diving with it on your wrist. Afraid that constant battery changes or a charging port will compromise the water resistance? Worry not. The Garmin vivofit 3 battery lasts a year—or better—without needing a charge.
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