[yoz-y]

To me it seems that those use cases would require a massive and rugged connector like the computer mains plug. Realistically I suppose the solution is to have some sort of a bag. For me when hiking or biking I always charge my phone in the backpack/saddlebag/front bike pouch. For the laptop on knees it might be preferable to have a plug on the back (usb-c charging has the advantage that it can have multiple options, at least right/left side. Another option is angled cables mostly immune to slamming from the side and somewhat resilient to angular momentum due to small size.

For chewed cables I agree. But again to actually make a resilient cable it would need to be thicker than most modern phones, the connector is not the weak point here.

[dheera]

I mean, 1/8" headphone jack connectors were super strong, they were about the same size as USB-C and much, much more rugged.

Also you could easily miniaturize an IEC power cable, it's the material and design that makes it good, not the size. Rubbery plastic and all forces transferred to housing not the PCB.