How many calories does backpacking burn?

At 7 METs, a 70 kg person uses about 245 kcal in thirty minutes. Energy use scales with body weight, so a 90 kg person uses roughly a third more for the same session.

What is the MET value for backpacking?

7 METs, listed under Compendium code 17010. A MET is a multiple of resting metabolic rate.

Should I subtract my resting metabolism?

If you are adding this to a maintenance figure that already includes rest, yes. The net figure removes the roughly one MET-hour per hour your body would have spent anyway, which for backpacking leaves about 86 per cent of the gross total.

Why does body weight change the answer?

A MET value is energy per kilogram of body mass, so the same activity costs more for a heavier body. That is why weight is an input rather than an assumption, and why generic calories-burned figures without a weight are close to meaningless.

How accurate is this figure?

It is an estimate from a population average. Published comparisons against indirect calorimetry find individual discrepancies of twenty to thirty per cent, so use it to compare activities rather than as a ledger to eat back.

Calories burned backpacking

Backpacking is rated at 7 METs, meaning it costs about 7 times as much energy per minute as sitting still. Enter your weight and duration to turn that into kilocalories.

Result

These are estimates from population-level equations, not a measurement of you and not medical advice. Individual results vary widely. Talk to a doctor or a registered dietitian before making significant changes to how you eat or train.

The MET value and where it comes from

MET value: 7
Compendium code: 17010
Listed as: Backpacking (Taylor Code 050)
Category: Outdoors

The Compendium assigns backpacking a value of 7 METs. One MET is what sitting quietly costs, so this activity is about 7 times that per minute of doing it.

kcal = MET × kg × h
     = 7 × weight × hours

net of resting:
kcal = (7 − 1) × weight × hours

Source: Herrmann SD, Willis EA, Ainsworth BE, et al. "2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities." Journal of Sport and Health Science 13(1), 2024, pp. 6–12. MET values are population averages; roughly 18% of Compendium entries are estimated rather than measured.

The figure above is gross energy — everything spent during the session, including the resting metabolism you would have used anyway. Subtracting one MET-hour per hour gives what backpacking actually added.

The 7 MET figure for backpacking is a population average. The Compendium itself notes that individual energy cost varies with fitness, technique, terrain and body composition, so treat it as an order of magnitude rather than a measurement.

Calories burned by body weight and duration

Gross energy in kilocalories. Read across from your weight and down from your duration. A 70 kg person uses about 490 kcal an hour, of which roughly 420 is above what resting would have cost.

Calories burned by body weight and duration
Body weight	15 min	20 min	30 min	45 min	60 min	90 min
55 kg	96	128	193	289	385	578
65 kg	114	152	228	341	455	683
75 kg	131	175	263	394	525	788
85 kg	149	198	298	446	595	893
95 kg	166	222	333	499	665	998
110 kg	193	257	385	578	770	1,155

Compared with related activities

Energy used per thirty minutes at 70 kg, so the activities are directly comparable.

Comparison with related activities
Activity	METs	kcal / 30 min
Backpacking	7	245
Hiking	6	210
Fast walking	5.5	193
Stair climbing	6.8	238
Rock climbing	8.8	308
Brisk walking	4.8	168

Questions

How many calories does backpacking burn?: At 7 METs, a 70 kg person uses about 245 kcal in thirty minutes. Energy use scales with body weight, so a 90 kg person uses roughly a third more for the same session.
What is the MET value for backpacking?: 7 METs, listed under Compendium code 17010. A MET is a multiple of resting metabolic rate.
Should I subtract my resting metabolism?: If you are adding this to a maintenance figure that already includes rest, yes. The net figure removes the roughly one MET-hour per hour your body would have spent anyway, which for backpacking leaves about 86 per cent of the gross total.
Why does body weight change the answer?: A MET value is energy per kilogram of body mass, so the same activity costs more for a heavier body. That is why weight is an input rather than an assumption, and why generic calories-burned figures without a weight are close to meaningless.
How accurate is this figure?: It is an estimate from a population average. Published comparisons against indirect calorimetry find individual discrepancies of twenty to thirty per cent, so use it to compare activities rather than as a ledger to eat back.