ECOFLOW POWER HAT: A SUN HAT WITH SOLAR PANELS

Wearing a hat when you’re spending time in the sun is ideal to protect your skin and help keep you cool.

- BY HALYNA KUBIV

But why not go a step further and make the hat capable of charging an iPhone? That's the premise with the EcoFlow Power Hat. It’s a sunhat with edges lined with solar panels. If the conditions are right, it can create solar energy that can be used to charge a mobile device, such as an iPhone.

The Power Hat immediately catches the eye. Unlike conventional outdoor clothing in green, brown, or pastel colors, the hat is black to match the black solar panels. The pitch-black color and the creases on the brim led to somewhat unforeseen consequences: When trying them on in the office, my co-workers teased me about Hogwarts—I have to admit, the comparison is not too far-fetched. My fellow travelers on the route associated the look with 19th-century fashion. In any case, the hat looks quite unusual.

The plastic edges are creased along the photovoltaic elements so that the hat can be folded quite comfortably—a clear advantage over classic summer hats, most of which do not survive the first journey in a bag without visual loss. The edges are made of robust plastic, with the panels on the upper side and a fabric lining at the bottom, presumably to prevent excessive perspiration.