Ze wrote:
ah yes that's true, except he's talking about this Nordic incline trainer which goes up to 40% grade! that will train the calves and quads as well as any machine can for hiking.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't a 40% grade the same as 21.8 degrees?

[quote="nartreb
Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't a 40% grade the same as 21.8 degrees?[/quote]

Yes it is. However at 21.8 degrees, for every mile you travel you will gain almost 2,000 vertical feet. This would be a very steep hiking trail. This is getting into borderline scrambling classification. There's really no need to train indoors any steeper than this. In fact, I would recommend training at a lower angle most of the time. Gaining 800 to 1,200 feet per mile is a good training angle.

I can't agree. If you have all day to train, then there's something to be said for training at relaxed trail angles like 1,000 ft per mile . If you want to build up your strength in a reasonable time like one hour per session, and be prepared for those steeper sections that you WILL encounter (while wearing a heavy pack, having already been hiking for miles), train at steeper angles. 20 degrees is getting into the useful range, but 30 or 40 would be a lot better.

nartreb wrote:I can't agree. If you have all day to train, then there's something to be said for training at relaxed trail angles like 1,000 ft per mile . If you want to build up your strength in a reasonable time like one hour per session, and be prepared for those steeper sections that you WILL encounter (while wearing a heavy pack, having already been hiking for miles), train at steeper angles. 20 degrees is getting into the useful range, but 30 or 40 would be a lot better.

You're quite off in several places here.

1,000 ft per mile is not 'relaxed'. 2,000 ft per mile is very steep (36% grade) and something at which you'd be hard to sustain 2 mph. That is very steep. Maybe you are confusing degrees and grades. People aren't hiking at 40 degrees angles. Maybe they are 'climbing', but not hiking.

The idea that you cannot get a workout at 40% grade is an absolutely ridiculous statement. People will probably last a minute at 40% grade, 3 mph. One could get a workout from that easily. Totally cardiovascular workout, especially using the calves and quads.

Actually, if one was only doing rock bouldering, they are almost likely to go slower due to the uneven terrain.

And what's with backpacks? Anyone can strap on a backpack when using this machine.

In the end, the OP wanted a good device to get a good cardiovascular workout that will translate to hiking. This machine will definitely do the job.