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Hiking calories calculator

MET × body weight × hours

A hiking calories calculator multiplies three things: a MET value, your body weight in kilograms, and the hours you spend. One MET is defined as 1 kilocalorie per kilogram per hour. The MET numbers on this page are not estimates invented for the form. They are codes from the 2011 Compendium of Physical Activities (Ainsworth and colleagues, Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise). Pick the description that matches the hike. If none match, do not pretend a neighboring code is exact.

Inputs

Result

Enter weight, time, and the closest activity.

Disclaimer: An energy estimate for adults using published MET values. It is not a diet plan, a medical assessment, or a measure of what you personally burned.

Body weight in this formula is not a BMI category. Adult BMI, with the CDC cut points, is on the ClearQuip BMI calculator.

How to use

  1. Enter body weight in pounds or kilograms. The page converts pounds with 0.45359237 kilograms per pound.
  2. Enter how many hours the activity lasted. Use moving time if the MET you pick is for hiking, not for standing around.
  3. Choose the Compendium line whose wording is closest. Read the load in the description before you pick a higher MET.
  4. Press Calculate. The result is MET × kilograms × hours. Reset clears weight and time.

How it's calculated

Kilocalories = MET × body weight (kg) × hours
1 MET = 1 kcal per kilogram per hour

That identity is how the Compendium is meant to be used. A 70 kg adult at 6.0 MET for 2 hours is 6 × 70 × 2 = 840 kcal. The same person at 7.8 MET is 1,092 kcal. The gap is the activity code, not a hidden fitness adjustment.

Body weight is an input, not a BMI category. If you want the adult BMI categories from the CDC, they are on the ClearQuip BMI calculator. Pack weight, which is not body weight, is the backpack weight calculator. The Compendium lines that mention a load are about the activity, not a substitute for weighing the pack.

Worked example

A person who weighs 154 pounds is about 69.9 kg, because 154 × 0.45359237 = 69.85. Two hours of cross-country hiking, code 17080 at 6.0 MET, is 6.0 × 69.85 × 2 ≈ 838 kcal. The same two hours with a daypack, code 17012 at 7.8 MET, is about 1,090 kcal. Change the hours and the result scales in a straight line.

Assumptions and sources

MET values and descriptions are from the 2011 Compendium of Physical Activities: Ainsworth BE, Haskell WL, Herrmann SD, and colleagues, Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 2011;43(8):1575–1581, and the compendium activity list (codes 17010, 17012, 17033, 17035, 17040, 17080, and 17082). The calorie equation uses the Compendium convention that 1 MET equals 1 kcal·kg⁻¹·h⁻¹. Individual energy cost varies with grade, speed, fitness, and terrain. This page does not adjust the published MET.

FAQ

Are these MET numbers measured on me?

No. They are published typical values for the activity description. Your own cost can be higher or lower.

Which code should I pick for a day hike with a small pack?

Code 17012 is worded as backpacking, hiking, or organized walking with a daypack, at 7.8 MET. Code 17080 is cross-country hiking at 6.0 MET with no pack mentioned. Pick the wording that fits.

Does the calculator know my heart rate?

No. It does not use heart rate, age, or sex. The inputs are weight, time, and a MET code.

Why convert pounds to kilograms?

The MET equation is defined per kilogram. The factor used here is the international avoirdupois pound, 0.45359237 kg.

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