Calories Burned Hiking with a backpack at 85 kg — 620 kcal per Hour
Hiking with a backpack at 85 kg (176-198 lb) burns about 620 kcal per hour. That figure comes from the activity's MET value of 7.3 in the 2011 Compendium of Physical Activities, multiplied by body weight: 7.3 x 85 kg x 1 hour = 620 kcal. This page works the numbers out in full - for 15, 30, 45, 60 and 90 minutes, across all four weight bands, and against four comparable activities at the same weight - so you can plan sessions with real figures instead of guessing.
Adding a loaded pack to a hike raises the cost of every step: you are carrying extra weight up every climb and steadying it on every descent. The Compendium rates hiking with a backpack at 7.3 METs, about 22% more than plain hiking at 6.0 METs — the pack turns an already vigorous activity into one of the most demanding walking activities there is.
Hiking with a backpack suits multi-day walkers, backpackers training for a trip, and anyone using a weighted pack as a training tool. The headline number to remember is 620 kcal per hour at 85 kg, or about 310 kcal for 30 minutes on the trail. Everything below is an estimate: MET values are population averages, and your own burn will vary with fitness, terrain, pack weight and conditions. That does not make the numbers useless — it makes them a planning tool, and a good one, as long as you treat them as approximate.
Calculate your own numbers
Use the calorie calculator to work out your own burn for hiking with a backpack at your exact weight and session length. Enter your weight, pick the activity and set the duration, and the tool applies the same MET formula shown below. You can also try the calorie calculator to see how this session fits into your total daily energy use.
Related pages in this section:
The formula, shown and cited
The standard way to estimate the energy cost of an activity is the MET formula from the Compendium of Physical Activities (Ainsworth et al., Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 2011; 43(8): 1575-1581):
Calories (kcal) = MET x body weight (kg) x duration (hours)
One MET is the energy you use sitting quietly at rest - about 1 kcal per kilogram of body weight per hour. An activity rated at 7.3 METs therefore uses 7.3 times as much energy as resting. The Compendium's MET values come from published studies that measured oxygen use during each activity, so they are measured averages, not guesses. The value used here, 7.3, is the one recorded for hiking with a backpack in the FitCalc activity data.
Worked through for this page:
- MET for hiking with a backpack: 7.3
- Body weight: 85 kg (the midpoint of the 80-90 kg band, 176-198 lb)
- Duration: 1 hour
- Calculation: 7.3 x 85 x 1 = 620 kcal
For a 30-minute session the same calculation is 7.3 x 85 x 0.5 = 310 kcal. Nothing else is hidden in the maths - if your weight or duration changes, only those two numbers change.
Your numbers at 85 kg
| Duration | Calculation | Calories burned |
|---|---|---|
| 15 minutes | 7.3 x 85 x 0.25 | 155 kcal |
| 30 minutes | 7.3 x 85 x 0.5 | 310 kcal |
| 45 minutes | 7.3 x 85 x 0.75 | 465 kcal |
| 60 minutes | 7.3 x 85 x 1 | 620 kcal |
| 90 minutes | 7.3 x 85 x 1.5 | 931 kcal |
That is about 10.3 kcal per minute of hiking with a backpack at this weight. A short session still counts: even 15 minutes burns 155 kcal, and three 15-minute sessions across a day add up to the same 465 kcal as one 45-minute session.
How the burn changes with body weight
The MET value stays the same - it describes the activity, not the person - but the calorie total scales with weight, because a heavier body costs more energy to move:
| Body weight | Calories per hour | Calories per 30 minutes |
|---|---|---|
| 55 kg | 402 kcal | 201 kcal |
| 65 kg | 474 kcal | 237 kcal |
| 75 kg | 548 kcal | 274 kcal |
| 85 kg | 620 kcal | 310 kcal |
Two people doing the same activity for the same time can therefore burn quite different amounts, and that is expected - it is physics, not a mistake in the formula. If your weight sits between two rows, your figure sits between the two values.
How hiking with a backpack compares
Here is hiking with a backpack against four other activities at the same 85 kg, all using the same MET formula:
| Activity | MET | Calories per hour at 85 kg |
|---|---|---|
| hiking with a backpack | 7.3 | 620 kcal |
| hiking | 6 | 510 kcal |
| climbing stairs | 8.8 | 748 kcal |
| walking uphill | 6 | 510 kcal |
| running at 5 mph | 8.3 | 706 kcal |
Use this table to choose, not to judge. A higher number means a harder session, not a better one: the activity you enjoy and repeat three times a week beats the activity that burns more per hour but that you quit after a fortnight. Mixing intensities across the week - one harder session, two easier ones - is usually more sustainable than doing the hardest activity every time.
Fitting hiking with a backpack into your week
| Sessions per week | 30 minutes each | 60 minutes each |
|---|---|---|
| 2 sessions | 620 kcal | 1240 kcal |
| 3 sessions | 930 kcal | 1860 kcal |
| 5 sessions | 1550 kcal | 3100 kcal |
At 7.3 METs, hiking with a backpack is vigorous-intensity activity, so it counts double toward the widely used adult activity target: 75 minutes of vigorous activity a week is the equivalent of 150 minutes of moderate activity. One loaded hike of 90 minutes a week already clears the vigorous target and burns about 931 kcal at 85 kg. Because loaded hiking is hard on joints and muscles, keep it to once or twice a week and fill the other days with unloaded walks, which aid recovery while still adding to your weekly total.
How to use the result
Fit the pack properly before you load it: the hip belt should sit on your hip bones and carry most of the weight, with the shoulder straps mainly steadying the load. Pack heavy items close to your back and high up, keep the load balanced left to right, and tighten the compression straps so nothing shifts as you walk. Break in both boots and pack on short walks before a long trip — a new pack rubs in places you will only discover after an hour. Start with a light load, around 5 kg, and add weight gradually over weeks; jumping straight to a heavy pack is how knees and backs get hurt. Take short breaks to take the pack off and let your shoulders recover. Use the numbers on this page to set realistic expectations rather than to chase a daily total. If you are tracking food as well, add the session's calories to your total daily energy expenditure for that day, and remember that the figure is an estimate with roughly 10-20% uncertainty. Do not eat back every calorie the calculator shows: activity trackers and MET estimates both tend to overstate slightly, and a small margin keeps a weight-loss plan on track. If you are aiming to lose weight, keep the deficit modest - 300-500 kcal a day is a common, sustainable range - and keep your total intake above the safety floors of 1,200 kcal a day for women and 1,500 kcal a day for men unless a healthcare professional advises otherwise.
What the number does NOT tell you
The MET formula is honest about what it measures and silent about the rest. The 7.3 figure is for a typically loaded pack on a typical trail — it has no way of knowing whether your pack weighs 5 kg or 20 kg, and a heavier pack burns more while a lighter one burns less. It does not account for your fitness level, body composition, the steepness of the trail, or the surface underfoot. It says nothing about strength, flexibility or balance gained, and it cannot tell you whether loaded hiking is safe for you: if you have a heart condition, back, knee or hip problems, breathing difficulties or any other health concern, check with a healthcare professional before starting. Use the calorie figure as a planning estimate, and judge the hike by how you feel doing it and whether you keep doing it.
Frequently asked questions
How many calories do I burn hiking with a backpack for 30 minutes at 85 kg?
About 310 kcal. The maths is 7.3 METs x 85 kg x 0.5 hours = 310 kcal. That is an estimate from the Compendium average for a typically loaded pack — your real burn depends on the pack weight, the trail and the gradient. If you weigh more or less than 85 kg, use the weight table above to read your own figure.
How much extra does the backpack add compared with hiking without one?
At 85 kg, hiking with a backpack burns about 620 kcal per hour against 510 kcal for plain hiking — roughly 22% more. The difference comes from the MET values: 7.3 with a pack against 6.0 without. A heavier pack would widen the gap and a lighter pack would narrow it, because the 7.3 figure assumes a typical load.
How heavy should my backpack be for training?
Start light — around 5 kg — and add weight gradually over weeks as your body adapts. A common training load is 10-15 kg, but there is no single right number: it depends on your body weight, fitness and what your knees and back tolerate. Never jump straight to a heavy pack, and stop and reassess if you get sharp knee, hip or back pain.
Is hiking with a backpack bad for your knees?
It adds load to every step, especially on descents, so it is harder on knees than unloaded hiking. Good footwear, trekking poles, short steps downhill, a well-fitted pack with the weight on your hips, and gradual build-up all reduce the strain. If you have existing knee problems, build up very slowly and consider talking to a clinician first.
Can hiking with a backpack help with weight loss?
It can help, but only as part of an overall calorie deficit. At 85 kg, an hour burns about 620 kcal — one of the highest figures of any walking activity — and a two-hour loaded hike burns about 1241 kcal. Weight loss still comes from the total balance of food and activity across the week, not from one hike. Aim for a gradual loss of 0.5-1% of body weight per week, and never drop below 1,200 kcal a day (women) or 1,500 kcal a day (men) without medical supervision.
Estimates only, not medical advice. Minimum safe intakes: 1,200 kcal/day women, 1,500 kcal/day men - consult a healthcare professional before a very-low-calorie diet.