EcoFlow Power Hat review: An interesting aesthe-tech

I have been pitching the idea of a solar powered hat as a portable charger for years. I distinctly remember sitting in a uni lecture back in 2010 when an advertising professor asked for ideas we wished existed.

“Solar powered hat” I had exclaimed to a puzzled room of 18 year olds. Back then it was met with muffled chortles, but who’s laughing now? Well probably still 18 year olds, at me, because while the EcoFlow Power Hat is a fun gadget, it looks pretty dumb.

Wearable tech presents an interesting juncture. Not only does it have to perform well, but it has to wear well. If a watch, glasses, or a hat makes you feel self-conscious, or has you scared to end up the subject of a Gen Alpha’s scathing fashion TikTok channel, then it won’t work. Style needs to go hand-in-hand with its substance. Although the EcoFlow Power Hat is the culmination of years of my techy fantasies, you still won’t catch me wearing it, and I think that says enough.

This solar hat looks vaguely like a child’s drawing. The brim is comically large, and it has kinks throughout to allow it to fold down without damaging the solar panels, which makes it look somewhat misshapen. Zig-zagy even. I reviewed the XL, which has a diameter of 48cm from edge to edge. Great for sun protection, and it does give a solid amount of space for the solar panels to irk out some extra power, but it looks ridiculous on my head. While most hats will wear in over time, the structure is a necessity for the charging capabilities. Bending the solar panels can render them useless so you’ll need to be careful to properly fold and store the Power Hat to make sure it doesn’t become a lowly powerless hat.

On top it uses a cap-like design with two thirds made out of a breathable mesh, and the other third out of panelled polyester. Couple this with the stiff, jagged edges, and the EcoFlow Power Hat looks downright goofy. It is an interesting blend between cap and wide-brim which I understand in theory but have to giggle at in practice.

Primarily targeted for long tail outdoor adventures the breathable mesh and wide brim are practical additions in the Australian heat. Even if they are aesthetically questionable, I get the decision making here. Aesthetics aren’t usually top of mind on a camping trip or a long hike, but they can’t be discounted all together. It would have been nice to see a slightly more fashion-forward design, or even for the current design to incorporate some kind of natural fibre rather than being 100% plastic. The upside of plastic is that the hat is IP65 waterproof and can handle water up to 30 degrees celsius which is useful considering it is big enough to act like an umbrella too.

As for the technical side of it, the gadget comes equipped with a 12W charging dock with both USB-A and USB-C ports. 12W is pretty slow compared to most wired standards these days, and the charging capacity is of course limited by its sun exposure. The hat doesn’t store any power, but instead directly connects from the solar panels to the device once it is plugged in. Since it maxes out at 12W, even if your device does have fast charging you won’t be able to take advantage of it.

According to EcoFlow the Power Hat is able to convert 24% of the absorbed solar energy into electricity to charge your devices. Technically this makes it a high efficiency panel, but it doesn’t mean that translates into fast charging. In our testing it took 22 minutes to charge an iPhone 16 Pro by 1% in direct sunlight. Warmer days with higher sun exposure could yield faster results, but realistically you won’t get much of a lift if you need a quick charge.

The charging dock has both USB-C and USB-A ports and can handle dual-charging. This does, however, mean each device will charge even slower as the solar energy has to be split between them.

As a hat, the Power Hat works great! Despite the design choices I mentioned earlier it has a UPF 50+ rating, and has a lower surface temperature than a typical wide brimmed hat making it more comfortable to wear for extended periods of time. Even if it does weigh 370g, which is more than some phones.