EcoFlow Power Hat review: I wore a hat full of solar panels to charge my phone

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Gather ‘round, witches and wizards. One of my favorite portable power station brands has made a hat for those who dabble in the dark arts. Jokes aside, there’s no denying the EcoFlow Power Hat looks like it’s something out of Harry Potter. But it’s actually a well-designed hat for anyone who spends time outside, and it might be the best way to keep your phone charged up when you’re adventuring off-grid.

In my quest for the best way to keep devices online while outdoors, I knew I needed to test out the EcoFlow Power Hat, which is genuinely a solar panel you wear on your noggin. I spent days wearing the hat in my backyard, while out on walks, and generally while living out my life to see just how functional it was. My niece, who’s 16 months old, gave me a judgmental and unapproving look every time she saw me wearing the hat. She clearly didn’t like it, but did I? Here’s what I experienced while testing out the EcoFlow Power hat, which sells for $129.

Wearing a solar panel on my head recharged my phone at a surprising speed

We’ll talk about the looks of the hat later, but what matters most is that the EcoFlow Power Hat recharged my phone at a speed that I wasn’t expecting. To test the Power Hat’s abilities, I set it outside in direct Georgia summer sun for half an hour. I did my best to position the hat so all eight mini solar panels were getting full sun. It took my Google Pixel 8 from 83 percent to 93 percent charge. With those metrics, I was getting about 20 percent charge per hour, or five hours to get my phone from dead back to 100 percent charged. That’s not bad for a clothing accessory.

I used a USB-C power meter to take a reading of the power input the hat was giving my phone. EcoFlow says the hat can get up to 12W of power, but I only reached a max of 7W, and it mostly hung out near the 6W range. Still, I was impressed that my phone recharged by 10 percent in just 30 minutes of full sun. Here's some useful technical info about the solar panel hat.

Spec teardown on the EcoFlow Power Hat

• Size options: M/L (22 to 22.8 inch head circumference), L/XL (23.2 to 24 inch circumference)

• Rated power output: 12W

• Hat weight (M/L): 13 ounces (0.8 pounds)

• Input options: 1 USB-C, 1 USB-A

• Includes: Solar-panel hat, adjustable hat strap, carrying case

A hat built for function, not fashion

Not that I thought wearing a solar panel on my head would be fashionable, but the hat has a distinctly unfashionable vibe going on. The upper part is a trucker hat design, with a structured front panel and a mesh back for breathability. The brim consists of eight mini solar panels. There’s also an adjustable chin strap you can add to the hat for extra functionality.

The solar panel brim is stiff and stays in a semi-bent-up position, no matter how long I set it on a flat surface to relax. Wearing it for more than half an hour at a time left indents on my forehead, presumably because it’s pretty heavy. The medium/large size I tested weighs about 0.8 pounds. Another downside I noted is that the solar panels get hot to the touch; hot enough that it was uncomfortable to touch for more than a few seconds when sitting in full sun. 

But looks aside, the hat serves its intended function very well. Wear it around during a day outside, and you’ll get power into your small electronics. In terms of sun protection, this hat is incredible. The brim is wide and offers 360-degree coverage. If you’re out on a multi-day hiking excursion, this is the exact type of sun protection you’ll want.

Who should own the EcoFlow Power Hat

After wearing the hat around for a few weeks, I’m convinced certain people will love the functionality of the Power Hat. If you head out on fishing trips, spend the day cruising on the boat, or love to spend the summer at festivals, recharging your phone via a hat is a genius move. Plus, you’re getting sun protection. 

It’s also a great idea for people who take multi-day backpacking trips and are trying to keep weight as low as possible. The hat removes the need to pack a power bank and a hat, combining the two. You could also wear the hat for a day at Disneyland, which is a notorious situation for dead phone batteries because you’re not gonna not take endless pictures of Minnie Mouse. 

Why the EcoFlow Power Hat might not be right for you

Despite being a cool gadget, I’m not convinced the EcoFlow Power Hat is right for most people. Consider this: The EcoFlow 45W Portable Solar Panel costs $99 at full price, making it cheaper than the Power Hat and significantly more powerful at recharging small devices. That hat maxes out at 12W, according to EcoFlow, but I never got that much.

The super portable EcoFlow 28W Ultra-Light Solar Panel is also less expensive than the Power Hat when both are at full price. The 28W solar panel sells for $119 and could easily hang on a hiking backpack or sit on a boat deck. Comparing those prices to how much solar power they can harness, the EcoFlow hat only makes sense if you prefer the hat design. Otherwise, you can get more power for less money. And not have to wear a solar panel on your head.

Where to buy the EcoFlow Power Hat

The EcoFlow Power Hat is listed at $129, but it’s currently on sale for $89.99 at Best Buy, and it’s gone as low as $79 at Amazon. If you don’t dig the hat design, I’ve included two solar panel options I’d consider to be solid alternatives.