{
  "slug": "calories-hiking",
  "title": "Calorie Burn — Hiking",
  "category": "Energy Expenditure",
  "category_slug": "energy-expenditure",
  "tier": 2,
  "summary": "Estimate calories burned while hiking from body weight, duration, and terrain or pack load.",
  "description": "This calculator estimates hiking energy expenditure using MET values from the Adult Compendium of Physical Activities. It multiplies body weight, time on trail, and a terrain-and-load MET selected from four published entries: cross-country hiking at 6.0 METs (code 17080), hill climbing with a 4.5–9 kg pack at 6.5 METs (code 17045), hill climbing with a 9.5–18 kg pack at 7.5 METs (code 17050), and loaded climbing on steep 5–20% grades at 10.0 METs (code 17060). Secondary rows show the MET used, the net-of-resting figure, and the per-minute burn rate.",
  "page_url": "https://fitmetriclab.com/en/tools/energy-expenditure/calories-hiking/",
  "api_url": "https://fitmetriclab.com/api/tools/calories-hiking.json",
  "formula": {
    "id": "calories_hiking",
    "expression": "\\text{Calories} = \\text{MET}(\\text{terrain}) \\times w \\times \\frac{t}{60}",
    "variables": [
      {
        "symbol": "w",
        "description": "Weight in kg"
      },
      {
        "symbol": "t",
        "description": "Time on trail in minutes"
      },
      {
        "symbol": "\\text{MET}",
        "description": "6.0, 6.5, 7.5, or 10.0 by terrain and load (Compendium codes 17080, 17045, 17050, 17060)"
      }
    ]
  },
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "weight_kg",
      "label": "Weight",
      "type": "number",
      "unit": "kg",
      "default": 75,
      "min": 20,
      "max": 300,
      "step": 0.1
    },
    {
      "id": "minutes",
      "label": "Time on trail",
      "type": "number",
      "unit": "min",
      "default": 120,
      "min": 10,
      "max": 600,
      "step": 5
    },
    {
      "id": "terrain",
      "label": "Terrain / load",
      "type": "select",
      "unit": null,
      "default": 0,
      "options": [
        {
          "label": "Cross-country, day hike (6.0 MET)",
          "value": 0
        },
        {
          "label": "Hills, 4.5–9 kg pack (6.5 MET)",
          "value": 1
        },
        {
          "label": "Hills, 9.5–18 kg pack (7.5 MET)",
          "value": 2
        },
        {
          "label": "Steep hills 5–20% grade, loaded (10.0 MET)",
          "value": 3
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": {
      "weight_kg": 75,
      "minutes": 120,
      "terrain": 0
    },
    "expected_output": "900 kcal"
  },
  "result_summary_template": "A hiker weighing {weight_kg} kg who walks the selected terrain for {minutes} minutes burns approximately {result}.",
  "methodology": "Calories = MET × body mass (kg) × duration (hours). MET values from the Adult Compendium of Physical Activities (2024): hiking, cross country = 6.0 METs (code 17080); climbing hills with 10–20 lb (4.5–9 kg) load = 6.5 METs (code 17045); climbing hills with 21–40 lb (9.5–18 kg) load = 7.5 METs (code 17050); climbing hills, loaded, 5–20% grade, moderate-to-brisk pace = 10.0 METs (code 17060). Net figure = (MET − 1) × mass × hours.",
  "sources": [
    {
      "label": "Herrmann SD, et al. 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities: a third update of the energy costs of human activities. J Sport Health Sci. 2024;13(1):6–12.",
      "url": "https://pacompendium.com/walking/"
    },
    {
      "label": "Ainsworth BE, et al. 2011 Compendium of Physical Activities: a second update of codes and MET values. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2011;43(8):1575–1581.",
      "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21681120/"
    },
    {
      "label": "Pandolf KB, Givoni B, Goldman RF. Predicting energy expenditure with loads while standing or walking very slowly. J Appl Physiol. 1977;43(4):577–581.",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1152/jappl.1977.43.4.577"
    }
  ],
  "faqs": [
    {
      "question": "Why does a modest pace burn so much over a hiking day?",
      "answer": "Duration dominates the arithmetic. Cross-country hiking at 6.0 METs costs a 75 kg person about 7.5 kcal per minute — less than running — but a five-hour day multiplies that small rate by 300 minutes. Long-duration, moderate-intensity work accumulates totals that short vigorous sessions rarely match: the two-hour example in the write-up reaches 900 kcal, roughly what an hour of hard running would cost the same person."
    },
    {
      "question": "How does pack weight change the estimate?",
      "answer": "The tool switches between published Compendium bands: 6.5 METs with a 4.5–9 kg pack, 7.5 METs with a 9.5–18 kg pack on hills, and 10.0 METs for loaded climbing on steep grades. Within a band the estimate does not change, which is a known coarseness of banded tables — a 9 kg and an 18 kg pack return the same figure. The Pandolf-based rucking calculator treats load as a continuous input for finer resolution."
    },
    {
      "question": "Does the estimate account for descent?",
      "answer": "No. The Compendium entries reflect mixed or ascending terrain at the stated loads. Measured energy cost of downhill walking is lower than level walking on gentle declines, then rises again on steep descents as braking work increases. A route with equal ascent and descent generally lands below the pure climbing bands, so applying the steep-grade entry to a full out-and-back day overstates the total."
    },
    {
      "question": "What about sand, snow, or boggy ground?",
      "answer": "Published military load-carriage research assigns terrain factors that multiply energy cost: dirt roads add roughly 20%, and loose sand can approach twice the cost of paved-surface walking at the same speed. The Compendium hiking entries assume ordinary trail surfaces, so estimates for beach walking, deep snow, or bog crossings run low. Selecting the next band up is one crude way to acknowledge a slow, energy-hungry surface."
    },
    {
      "question": "Is the result useful for planning trip food?",
      "answer": "It provides an order-of-magnitude estimate. The gross figure includes resting metabolism, which the body would burn regardless, so provisioning against the net row plus normal daily intake avoids double-counting. Cold, altitude, load carried on the body versus in a balanced pack, and individual economy all shift real requirements, which is why long-distance hikers commonly refine estimates against logged experience rather than a single formula."
    }
  ],
  "related_tools": [
    {
      "slug": "calories-rucking",
      "title": "Calorie Burn — Rucking (Pandolf)",
      "api_url": "https://fitmetriclab.com/api/tools/calories-rucking.json",
      "page_url": "https://fitmetriclab.com/en/tools/energy-expenditure/calories-rucking/"
    },
    {
      "slug": "calories-walking",
      "title": "Calorie Burn — Walking",
      "api_url": "https://fitmetriclab.com/api/tools/calories-walking.json",
      "page_url": "https://fitmetriclab.com/en/tools/energy-expenditure/calories-walking/"
    },
    {
      "slug": "steps-to-calories",
      "title": "Steps to Calories",
      "api_url": "https://fitmetriclab.com/api/tools/steps-to-calories.json",
      "page_url": "https://fitmetriclab.com/en/tools/energy-expenditure/steps-to-calories/"
    },
    {
      "slug": "custom-met-calculator",
      "title": "Custom Activity MET Calculator",
      "api_url": "https://fitmetriclab.com/api/tools/custom-met-calculator.json",
      "page_url": "https://fitmetriclab.com/en/tools/energy-expenditure/custom-met-calculator/"
    }
  ],
  "last_updated": "2026-08-08",
  "price": {
    "value": 0,
    "currency": "USD"
  },
  "runs_in_browser": true,
  "disclaimer": "Educational estimate produced from a published formula. Not medical, nutritional, or training advice. Calculations are deterministic — apply the formula to the inputs to reproduce the result."
}