Welcome to the EcoFlow Power Hat that retails from between R1 099 to R1 499 based on size. EcoFlow is well known for its excellent portable power supplies, of which we’ve reviewed several over the last year.
However, where these hugely popular emergency power supplies were a necessity in 2023, Eskom appears to have its act together in 2024. as prefaced by 200 days without load-shedding, hooray. So, what’s a large global company with a well-defined footprint in South Africa going to do now? It’s got to innovate, of course …
ECOFLOW POWER HAT
And that leads us to the rather curious consumer product you see before you – something EcoFlow calls “a game-changer for the outdoor enthusiast.” The first-ever wearable product to combine solar panels with headgear. In a nutshell, it’s a wide-brimmed hat designed with 360-degree integrated solar panels.
So, not only does it provide shade and comfort on a sunny day, but it allows you to charge-up you phone or any other portable device on the go. Power output is 12W and there are both USB-A and -C ports to charge two devices simultaneously. Sounds great, right? Well, in theory, yes. But as we identified while reviewing it – there are a few practical issues.
WHAT’S IT LIKE TO USE?
Practically speaking, we were struck by how wide and heavy the hat is initially. Obviously, integrating eight solar panels into a brim makes it rather hefty. We couldn’t measure it outright, but we think it weighs roughly 250g, which is quite a lot to put on your head. Secondly, the brim is very wide, so try not to take anyone’s eye out as you walk around. Nevertheless, the adjustable chin strap does help it feel more comfortable by holding it tight to your head.
However, the next issue we found with the EcoFlow Power Hat – rather ironically – is heat. To test it, we chose to recharge a cellphone from flat. On a day of changeable cloud cover, it took about five hours to recharge from empty to full. The next day was much hotter with zero cloud cover. Just perfect for the EcoFlow Power Hat to show off what it can really do we thought. However, on this day the heat generated was too much and the phone actually paused charging. So, unless it’s an ideal environment for solar charging – clear but not too hot – the efficacy is somewhat compromised.
FASHION FORWARD
Also, and this is a purely subjective point of view, but I personally wouldn’t wear it out in public. Or on a hike where I might run into other people. My wife likened it to a ‘sombrero with solar panels’. However, I was happy to wear the EcoFlow Power Hat on a sedentary weekend at home while gardening. Although, even here, the wide brim had me scraping through shrubs and trees.
There’s no doubting the EcoFlow Power Hat is an innovative concept. It’s perfect for the outdoorsy sort who enjoys camping and prolonged periods in the sun. Maybe a fisherman, too. However, I personally just didn’t have the need to charge any of my devices so urgently to warrant wearing it.
Maybe they can integrate smaller solar panels into other types of fashion-forward items in the future. At which time we’ll gladly revisit the concept of an EcoFlow Power Hat. For more information on EcoFlow’s outdoor range and summer specials, you can visit their website HERE.
WOULD YOU WEAR A HAT WITH SOLAR PANELS?
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