In that case, turn off the phone and look at your surroundings. That way you'll actually improve your navigation skills rather than just turning when a robot tells you to. :)

A word of warning, not all phones will charge directly from a dyno connected USB. Starting and stopping can also lower the efficiency as the phone wakes up each time. Tablets are more picky. Battery lights usually will not turn on while charging. A USB battery will often charge off of anything. I don't know if bicycle GPS will charge and run at the same time, but I recall reading one complaint.

Solar sounds like a good option for this application, maybe on top of the handlebar bag. A dyno is wonderful for frequent and always ready applications like commuting and randonneuring, but pretty pricy. Other dyno's are easier retrofit, but usually loose out in efficiency, though still not so noticeable with today's low power needs.

That's a bit of a cheap shot... He's obviously being an active participant... There are many reasons to carry a cell phone while riding. I lost a relative while traveling and it took 13 hours to get in touch with me so we could decide as a family whether or not to pull the plug, I have carried a cell phone from that week on. My wife ran a residency program for 18 years and when not on vacation always had to be reachable by her chief resident. At this point I'll always at least have a wheel with a dynamo on it for my primary bike. In any event OP I use a Dynamo coupled with a Forumslader to charge an Iphone 7 and haven't had to worry about charging my phone since. Also, when I commute daily I don't need to plug into the wall socket at all.

Young Techno-files has made people who use Maps, Pariahs and Luddites, but they are not battery dependent.

And Topographic maps show the slope of the hills..

And you youngins who use maps have made people who navigate by the sun and the stars, pariahs and luddites, but they don't have to worry about their paper maps getting wet...

the Vikings used a 'Sun stone" and have even been able to navigate at sea, on cloudy days,
before the discovery of the Earth's magnetic poles and the compass..

My mom refuses to use a GPS and spends an inordinate amount of time studying her atlas before she goes anywhere. I plug the address in to a GPS do a quickie once over on Google maps and roll. I always get to where I need to go with the GPS though it may not have always been the best route. OTOH, I don't know of any engineers that use an old reliable slide rule over a calculator that has batteries that might die when they need their calculator the most...

hey i did a paper on slide rules a few years back. i picked up a couple of them a garage sales and it was a gas using them. what that has to do with anything i dont know....

My watch has a circular slide rule, but the print is so small I can't use it without a magnifying glass. No, I do not try to use it while riding a bike.

i will say since i have hub dynamos on all my wheels i have never had a slide rule quit working. truthfully i use the dynamos for lights only. they are always on as i ride almost everywhere and at least once a week at night. cant imagine being without them now.

That was awesome. It's even funnier when you're old enough to remember when it was true.

I don't have a dynamo but do have a solar panel and did a 2 week tour this summer completely off the grid. Depends on the locale and season though. I did another 3 week tour with it and only had 3 days of sun.

For a short tour I just use a storage battery. Longer tour near civilization storage battery and charger. Off the grid battery and solar panel but I wouldn't sneeze at a hub dyno either.

That's cool; like Brother Dave Garner said, everybody's got their own kick goin'. No attitude here, but you might be interested in this.

I have one laying around somewhere, learning to use it has been on my to do list for years, maybe someday. Unfortunately my inner luddite recently reared its ugly head. I primarily used HP38 and 48 calculators my entire career and my trusty 48GX gave out on me a few months ago, I tried the prime couldn't adjust to it and ended up finding a "like new" actually was new 48G+ in beat up packaging from Amazon for $150, I was excited and surpised as they were discontinued in 2003. The 48GX's are like freaking gold on Ebay so I guess I'm not alone.

I have to say I was skeptical of Dynamos a couple of seasons ago but it took less than a month of riding with one for me to appreciate their value. I build my own wheels so for me the price of a dynamo wheel is $50 more than a mid range front hub wheel. Electronics to charge a phone will add $100 to $200 more to the setup and owning a Sinewave Revolution and Forumslader recommend the Forumslader. Do people need electronics while touring, no, but there's a lot of conveniences people can live without but tote along with them because it makes their trip more enjoyable.

yeah i wont build a front wheel without a dynamo now. i dont feel the drag anymore and i love riding anytime day or night. we have a once a month night ride where i live and its a real big deal for a lot of the riders to ride at night. my gf and i go sometimes but its just so we can hang out with other bikers. night riding is now routine and to my mind that's a good thing.

Good article. I generally try to run map free, but I am taking a lot of new routes and want to make sure I get where i am going and get home. after a ride or 2 I find myself using the maps a lot less.