The challenge with these type devices appears to be generating voltage that is appropriate for the device you are charging.  Cell phones, which many of us use in conjunction with InReach Minis, etc., for navigation purposes, are apparently notoriously "picky" receptors when it comes to receiving voltage.  It's usually best practice to charge your battery storage system, THEN charge your cell phone &/or other devices from that power bank.  It seems most energy storage systems/power banks for USB systems are far more tolerant when it comes to actually making use of the energy generated when cranking or pulling.  Another concern I read about for some of these devices is long-term dependability.  The last thing I need is to haul yet another item into the wilderness that soon becomes dead weight.

Don't get me wrong; I'm no electro-dude (ie. expert)... and I'll certainly defer to anything that MagicPaddler might have to say on the subject.  However, ST's & BC's posts got me interested in the possibilities.  This past paddling season I had considerable power generation & energy storage issues during my adventure in Manitoba's Atikaki Park.  First of all, my battery storage system died early on.  Nanabozho was on our butts a lot of our time there, wreaking havoc with our devices, our portage boots, our fishing poles, etc. & so on.  He even generated some serious cloudy weather for many of my 17 days in the park.  Therefore solar charging was "intermittent" at best.  Fortunately, he didn't mess up our fishing. Anyway, a dependable, portable, light-weight "hand-crank" (or pull) back-up system sounds appealing (& a possible nice last minute "stocking-stuffer" recommendation).  So, I dug into the subject a little bit and found the caveats/drawbacks I've mentioned.  It also apparently takes a fair amount of cranking to add up to just a few minutes of power.  There are more issues but I won't get into them here (mostly because I don't understand much of the techno-craperoo involved).

I'm not saying "don't buy" these products.  I'm simply saying "beware of their likely limitations" before depending upon them.  I'd love to hear from someone who has had actual experience with similar devices out in the wilderness.  What has their experience been?  What devices, if any, do they recommend?

As for me, I recently acquired a new Goal Zero power bank to use in conjunction with my solar panels.  I might be willing to invest in a hand-cranking system to help charge that bank IF I heard positive reviews from actual users.

Why not?  It seems I can always dream up an excuse for stuffing yet one more thing into my overflowing packs.

Later,

Jimbo   8-)