EarFree

10/17/2026

10/17/2026

Wind Noise and Cochlear Implants: Why Something So Simple Can Make Hearing Outdoors Difficult

For many cochlear implant wearers, a beautiful breezy day can come with an unexpected challenge: hearing clearly.

Imagine enjoying a walk along the beach, playing a round of golf, or having a conversation outdoors. Everything is going fine until the wind picks up.

Suddenly, the sound of wind rushing across your cochlear implant microphones competes with the voices and sounds you're trying to hear.

For someone who doesn't wear a cochlear implant, this might seem like a minor inconvenience. For those of us who depend on our processors to hear, it can be incredibly frustrating.

Why Is Wind Noise Such a Problem?

Cochlear implant sound processors use microphones to pick up sounds from the surrounding environment.

Unfortunately, those microphones can also pick up turbulence caused by wind blowing across them.

The result can be a rushing or roaring sound that makes speech and other important sounds more difficult to distinguish.

Many modern cochlear implant processors include technology designed to reduce wind noise. While these features can help, they don't always eliminate the problem, particularly on windy days.

And for people who enjoy spending time outdoors, that's a problem worth solving.

You Shouldn't Have to Avoid the Outdoors to Hear Better

Whether you enjoy golfing, tennis, gardening, walking, or simply sitting outside with friends, hearing is an important part of the experience.

Nobody wants to spend an afternoon constantly adjusting their processor, shielding it from the wind, or struggling to follow a conversation.

I understand that frustration because I wear a cochlear implant myself.

When I started EarFree, my goal was to create practical products that would make wearing a cochlear implant more comfortable and secure during everyday activities.

One of the challenges I wanted to address was wind noise.

A Hat Designed With Cochlear Implant Wearers in Mind

The EarFree Wind-Blocking Hat was developed specifically for people who wear behind-the-ear cochlear implant processors.

Unlike an ordinary baseball cap, it incorporates a specially designed area that helps shield the processor from direct wind exposure.

The hat also includes EarFree's processor-retention design, helping keep the processor secure while you're active.

The goal is simple: reduce unwanted wind interference without giving up the ability to enjoy the sounds around you.

Wind conditions, processor models, and individual hearing experiences vary, so results will differ from person to person. But reducing direct wind exposure can make a meaningful difference.

Designed by Someone Who Understands

One thing that makes EarFree different is that these products weren't dreamed up by someone guessing what cochlear implant wearers might need.

They were developed by someone who wears one.

Over the years, I've learned that sometimes relatively small improvements can make everyday life easier.

A more secure processor. Less interference from the wind. More confidence being active outdoors.

Those are the kinds of improvements that matter.

Don't Let the Wind Decide What You Can Enjoy

We went through a lot to regain access to sound. We shouldn't have to give up the outdoor activities we enjoy because of wind noise.

If wind interference has been a problem for you, there may be a practical way to help manage it.

The EarFree Wind-Blocking Hat was designed with that challenge in mind.

Because hearing shouldn't have to stop when the wind starts blowing.

Learn more about the EarFree Wind-Blocking Hat at "EarFree.net" (https://earfree.net).

EarFree products are designed for compatible behind-the-ear cochlear implant processors. They are not intended for off-the-ear processors such as Kanso.

Designed by a cochlear implant wearer, for real life in motion.

10/01/2026

10/01/2026

09/10/2026

Five Years of EarFree: What Cochlear Implant Wearers Have Taught Me

When I started EarFree five years ago, I was trying to solve problems I had experienced myself as a cochlear implant wearer.

I wanted to wear a hat without having it interfere with my processor. I wanted to play tennis without constantly dealing with sweat and worrying about my processor. I also wanted to hear outdoors without wind noise taking over everything.

I knew those problems were real because I lived with them. What I did not know was how much I would learn from other cochlear implant wearers.

Some customers told me what worked. Others told me what needed to change. That feedback helped me improve the size and position of the processor pockets, the openings, the elastic, the materials, and the overall fit.

I learned that what seems like a small detail can make a big difference when you wear a processor all day.

I also learned more about the struggles parents face with young children who wear cochlear implants. Little kids run, climb, play, and sometimes pull at anything attached to them. Parents need something comfortable that helps keep the processor secure without getting in the child’s way.

Hearing from parents has helped me understand how important that security can be. A hat or headband may look like a simple product, but for a parent trying to keep a child’s processor in place during school, sports, or playtime, it can solve a very real problem.

Another thing customers taught me is how much some cochlear implant wearers enjoy getting the processor off their ear. Wearing it all day can become uncomfortable. Being able to place it securely in a pocket can give the ear a break while still allowing the person to hear.

The wind blocking hat taught me something else. Not everyone wants their cochlear implant to be noticeable. Some people like what I call the incognito part of the hat. The processor sits securely inside the pocket, the wind noise is blocked, and they can simply enjoy being outdoors without drawing attention to it.

Most of all, cochlear implant wearers have taught me how much they appreciate having products made by someone who understands what they deal with.

Th

09/10/2026

Five Years of EarFree: What Cochlear Implant Wearers Have Taught Me

When I started EarFree five years ago, I was trying to solve problems I had experienced myself as a cochlear implant wearer.

I wanted to wear a hat without having it interfere with my processor. I wanted to play tennis without constantly dealing with sweat and worrying about my processor. I also wanted to hear outdoors without wind noise taking over everything.

I knew those problems were real because I lived with them. What I did not know was how much I would learn from other cochlear implant wearers.

Some customers told me what worked. Others told me what needed to change. That feedback helped me improve the size and position of the processor pockets, the openings, the elastic, the materials, and the overall fit.

I learned that what seems like a small detail can make a big difference when you wear a processor all day.

I also learned more about the struggles parents face with young children who wear cochlear implants. Little kids run, climb, play, and sometimes pull at anything attached to them. Parents need something comfortable that helps keep the processor secure without getting in the child’s way.

Hearing from parents has helped me understand how important that security can be. A hat or headband may look like a simple product, but for a parent trying to keep a child’s processor in place during school, sports, or playtime, it can solve a very real problem.

Another thing customers taught me is how much some cochlear implant wearers enjoy getting the processor off their ear. Wearing it all day can become uncomfortable. Being able to place it securely in a pocket can give the ear a break while still allowing the person to hear.

The wind blocking hat taught me something else. Not everyone wants their cochlear implant to be noticeable. Some people like what I call the incognito part of the hat. The processor sits securely inside the pocket, the wind noise is blocked, and they can simply enjoy being outdoors without drawing attention to it.

Most of all, cochlear implant wearers have taught me how much they appreciate having products made by someone who understands what they deal with.

The messages I receive mean a lot to me. When someone tells me that a hat helped them hear outside, that a headband kept their child’s processor secure, or that they are finally comfortable wearing something they could not wear before, it reminds me why I started EarFree.

I may have started with my own ideas, but EarFree has continued to improve because cochlear implant wearers and their families took the time to share their experiences with me.

After five years, I am still listening, still learning, and still working to make EarFree products better.

Thank you to everyone who has supported EarFree, shared feedback, and trusted something designed by a fellow cochlear implant wearer.

Tom Ross
Founder of EarFree

09/05/2026

Helping Kids With Hearing Loss Means More to Me Than I Ever Expected

I was looking at some statistics about children with hearing loss and one of them really got my attention.

About 2 to 3 out of every 1,000 children in the United States are born with hearing loss in one or both ears. More than 90% of deaf children are born to hearing parents.

Think about that for a minute.

Thousands of parents every year find out their baby has hearing loss. For many of them, this is probably a world they knew very little about before their child was born.

Then come the hearing tests, audiologist appointments, hearing aids, cochlear implants and a whole lot of questions.

I obviously didn't start EarFree thinking about any of this.

I started it because I wear a cochlear implant and had a problem I wanted to solve.

I wanted to wear a hat without having it interfere with my processor. I also wanted to be able to hear when I was outside in the wind. These were problems I dealt with myself, so I started making things that worked for me.

Over time, that turned into helping other cochlear implant wearers too.

What I didn't expect was how much it would mean to me when I started helping children.

A kid wearing a cochlear implant should be able to put on a hat and go outside and play just like any other kid. They shouldn't have to worry about their processor getting knocked around or squeezed against their head. Their parents shouldn't have to constantly adjust everything either.

These might seem like little things to someone who doesn't live with a cochlear implant, but they're not little when you're dealing with them every day.

The World Health Organization estimates that 34 million children around the world have disabling hearing loss.

Obviously, I'm not going to help 34 million kids.

But I can help some of them.

At almost 72 years old, that means a lot more to me than selling another hat or headband.

When a parent tells me something I made worked for their child, I know there is a real kid somewhere wearing something I came up with because of problems I had with my own cochlear implant.

Maybe they're wearing it to school. Maybe they're outside playing. Maybe Mom or Dad finally found something that works and it's one less thing they have to deal with.

That's pretty damn satisfying.

EarFree started because I was trying to make my own life a little easier.

Five years later, knowing that something I created can make life a little easier for a child with a cochlear implant is probably the part I'm most proud of.

09/05/2026

Helping Kids With Hearing Loss Means More to Me Than I Ever Expected

I was looking at some statistics about children with hearing loss and one of them really got my attention.

About 2 to 3 out of every 1,000 children in the United States are born with hearing loss in one or both ears. More than 90% of deaf children are born to hearing parents.

Think about that for a minute.

Thousands of parents every year find out their baby has hearing loss. For many of them, this is probably a world they knew very little about before their child was born.

Then come the hearing tests, audiologist appointments, hearing aids, cochlear implants and a whole lot of questions.

I obviously didn't start EarFree thinking about any of this.

I started it because I wear a cochlear implant and had a problem I wanted to solve.

I wanted to wear a hat without having it interfere with my processor. I also wanted to be able to hear when I was outside in the wind. These were problems I dealt with myself, so I started making things that worked for me.

Over time, that turned into helping other cochlear implant wearers too.

What I didn't expect was how much it would mean to me when I started helping children.

A kid wearing a cochlear implant should be able to put on a hat and go outside and play just like any other kid. They shouldn't have to worry about their processor getting knocked around or squeezed against their head. Their parents shouldn't have to constantly adjust everything either.

These might seem like little things to someone who doesn't live with a cochlear implant, but they're not little when you're dealing with them every day.

The World Health Organization estimates that 34 million children around the world have disabling hearing loss.

Obviously, I'm not going to help 34 million kids.

But I can help some of them.

At almost 72 years old, that means a lot more to me than selling another hat or headband.

When a parent tells me something I made worked for their child, I know there is a real kid somewhere wearing something I came up with because of problems I had with my own cochlear implant.

Maybe they're wearing it to school. Maybe they're outside playing. Maybe Mom or

09/04/2026

Getting a cochlear implant changed my life, but nobody hands you a list of all the little things that come with wearing one every day.
Wind. Hats. Keeping the processor where it belongs. Stuff you don’t think about until it becomes part of your life.
I wrote about some of that from my own experience.
Full blog at EarFree.net.