We're running a fleet of about 50 Samsung Tab A 8" tablets with thick silicone sleeves and standard screen protectors for turtle monitoring in Western Australia. Our conditions are sandy, hot, sometimes humid, windy. The tablets are transported in generic nylon pouches with zips. We've lost one tablet to theft, but none due to harsh conditions. These are our current first choice of hardware.
Our previous fleet were Lenovo Tab3 7" tablets without any cover, and we lost about 10 of 70 due to screen scracks, and two blew up their batteries in the heat. They were a great cheap option.
More thoughts on our quest for reliable, available, affordable hardware at https://dbca-wa.github.io/wastd/data_collection/data_collection_overview.html#devices-shoot-out