Testimony | Outdoor Tech Turtle Shell

ByMike Moffit

Summer is upon us, that means we’re all playing outside in one way or another. Biking, hiking, fishing, swimming, camping or just straight chillin’ and grillin’. Either way, some of us can’t go without tunes filling in the soundtrack to our outdoor fun. I have been out camping already this season and found that, being the nerd/techie I am, I camp a little differently.

The serenity of looking at the stars and “being away from it all” is great. However, I enjoy a little music and Netflix before bed. On my last few adventures, I’ve carried a backup battery from Goal Zero and the Turtle Shell from Outdoor Tech.

I’m not claiming to be an audiophile, but all my friends I was camping and chillin’ in the backyard with were shocked at the sound coming from this small, oddly-shaped orange boombox! The Turtle Shell connects via Bluetooth to my iPhone 5 easily and has a great battery meter to tell me how the Turtle’s battery is doing. Note: I always have an 3.5mm AUX cable with me so I don’t have to pair/re-pair my friends phones.

The speaker has two tweeters and a bass battery. What is a bass battery? Well, some genius figured out that you can use the battery as a sub — genius right? The sound is great, with clean highs and thumping lows. For camping, it was mostly that hippie music — Phish, the Dead and other jam bands. But for the backyard party, it was everything from Miley, Jay-Z, DMB, Miranda Lambert (don’t judge). You name the genre, it came up (OK, maybe no slow jams); the Turtle Shell’s sound stayed true through them all.

But, that’s not even the best part. Sounding good is important, but what if you’re having so much fun that you either spill on it or worse yet, forget about it altogether? Sure enough, I forgot it and accidentally left it outside all night — it rained, poured and may have been struck by lightning (probably not, but maybe). I woke up to it sitting in the grass beside my tent…! It’s advertised as being “shower, rain and generally any other liquid proof,” but come on, for real? Yep, for real — it turned it on right away (not recommended for most wet electronics) and the jams kept pumping. “Party on, Wayne!”

With much of summer left, I’m happy to know that come rain or shine, my Turtle will be bumpin’. Enjoy your summer!

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