Backpacking Calculator – How Many Calories Do I Burn Backpacking?
Estimate how many calories your body expends hiking/ backpacking.
Written by Matthew Magnante, ACE Fact checked by: Tom Miller, CSCS Last Updated on 27 October, 2023 | 10:43 PM EDT
How many calories you burn backpacking depends on your weight and the pack’s weight. On average, a 160-pound person burns 533 calories per hour, and a 200-pound person burns 667 calories per hour backpacking.
Imperial Metric
Weight Weight in Pound
Choose Backpacking Activity
- 1. Backpacking
Calculating result please wait..
If you would like to use this calculator on your website or blog you can simply embedded this calculator in one click. Use the below “Generate Code” tool to get the embedded code.
Copy the below code and paste it in your web page in HTML format anywhere between start and end tag.
How To Use The Backpacking Calculator
The calculator is very simple and easy to use and we’ve shared how to do it step-by-step.
- Choose the desired unit of measurement – imperial (pounds) or metric (kilograms)
- Enter your weight
- Type in the number of minutes of hiking/backpacking
- Select the backpacking activity
- Hit Calculate
You should now see an approximation of how many calories were burned hiking/backpacking
How Does The Calculator Approximate Calories Burned?
Formula
This tool uses the following formula to determine the number of calories burned.
- Calories burned per minute = (MET x body weight in Kg x 3.5) ÷ 200
What is MET?
MET stands for metabolic equivalents, a measure used to approximate calories burned from physical activity over a specific period of time or duration.
If you go to a gym, you may have noticed that the machines display METs for exercises. But researchers have developed charts that show METs for specific activities.
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For example, hiking/backpacking has different MET values depending on the backpacking activity. Here’s a chart that the calculator uses to determine METs based on backpacking activity.
| Type of Activity | MET | Calories Burned |
|---|---|---|
| Climbing hills with no load | 6.3 | 451 |
| Climbing hills with a 0 to 9 lb (0 to 4.1kg) load | 6.5 | 465 |
| Backpacking | 7 | 501 |
| Climbing hills with a 10 to 20 lb (4.5 to 9.1 kg) load | 7.3 | 523 |
| Climbing hills with a 21 to 42 lb (9.6 to 19.1 kg) load | 8.3 | 594 |
| Field march with a heavy pack | 8.66 | 620 |
| Climbing hills with a 42+ lb (19.1+ kg) load | 9 | 644 |
The lower the MET (e.g. 1) the less energy is used by the body while a higher MET value means more energy is required by the body. For example, One MET is equal to one’s resting metabolic rest (RMR) or calories burned at rest and when not moving around or digesting food.
While this process does burn calories it’s nothing compared to moving around for hours or intentionally engaging in physical activities. 10 METs means you’re using ten times more oxygen compared to one MET (muscles cells use oxygen for muscle contractions). This means more calories burned.
One MET is equivalent to about 3.5 millimeters of oxygen consumed per kilogram of bodyweight per minute. To determine how much oxygen your muscles consume, take your weight in kilograms and multiply by 3.5.
Weight plays a big role in how many calories you burn which is why heavier people can burn more calories compared to those carrying less body mass doing the same activity for the same duration.
To estimate energy expenditure during backpacking, the calculator uses body weight, duration of activity and backpacking activity.
For example
Let’s use the example of someone who weighs 150 lbs (68 kg) and climbs hills with no added weight/backpack for 45 minutes.
Calories burned = (MET x body weight in Kg x 3.5) ÷ 200
- Calories burned per minute = (6.3 x 68 kg x 3.5) / 200
- (6.3 x 68 kg x 3.5) / 200 = 7.5 calories burned per minute
- Calories burned per 45 minutes = 7.5 x 45 (minutes)
- 7.5 x 45 (minutes) = approximately337.5calories burned
But what if you wear a weighted backpack while climbing uphill? How many more calories will you burn?
Using the same body weight (150 lbs) but tacking on a 21-42 lbs (9.6kg – 19.1 kg) backpack, this will burn an estimated 445 calories and more than 100 calories compared to climbing hills with no added weight at the same body weight and duration.
Backpacking Calculator – How Many Calories Do I Burn Backpacking?
