{
  "id": "rucking-calorie",
  "version": "d0e30add33e9",
  "status": "published",
  "name": "Rucking Calorie Calculator",
  "question": "How many rucking calories burned?",
  "summary": "Estimates the calories burned rucking (walking with a weighted pack) from body weight, pack weight, speed, grade, terrain and time, with the Pandolf load-carriage equation.",
  "category": "health",
  "subcategory": "body",
  "url": "https://www.acalculator.org/health/rucking-calorie-calculator",
  "markdown": "https://www.acalculator.org/health/rucking-calorie-calculator.md",
  "kind": "function",
  "method": "M (W) = 1.5W + 2.0(W + L)(L ÷ W)² + η(W + L)(1.5V² + 0.35VG); calories = M × minutes × 60 ÷ 4,184.",
  "assumptions": [
    "W is body weight and L pack weight in kg, V speed in m/s, G grade in percent, η the terrain factor.",
    "The equation was built for walking with loads uphill or on the flat; it does not cover downhill walking or running.",
    "1 kcal = 4,184 J."
  ],
  "inputs": {
    "$schema": "https://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema",
    "type": "object",
    "properties": {
      "weight": {
        "title": "Body weight",
        "description": "Your body weight without the pack.",
        "type": [
          "number",
          "string"
        ],
        "x-quantity": "mass",
        "minimum": 30,
        "maximum": 250
      },
      "pack": {
        "title": "Pack weight",
        "description": "The weight of the loaded pack or vest.",
        "type": [
          "number",
          "string"
        ],
        "x-quantity": "mass",
        "minimum": 0,
        "maximum": 100
      },
      "speed": {
        "title": "Speed",
        "description": "Your walking speed.",
        "type": [
          "number",
          "string"
        ],
        "x-quantity": "speed",
        "minimum": 0.2,
        "maximum": 2.7
      },
      "grade": {
        "title": "Grade (%)",
        "description": "The uphill slope in percent; 0 on flat ground.",
        "type": "number",
        "minimum": 0,
        "maximum": 25
      },
      "terrain": {
        "title": "Terrain",
        "description": "The ground you walk on, which sets the terrain factor.",
        "type": "string",
        "enum": [
          "paved",
          "dirt",
          "light",
          "heavy",
          "bog",
          "sand"
        ]
      },
      "min": {
        "title": "Minutes",
        "description": "How long you ruck, in minutes.",
        "type": "integer",
        "minimum": 1,
        "maximum": 1440
      }
    }
  },
  "outputs": {
    "calories": {
      "label": "Calories burned",
      "description": "Metabolic rate × time ÷ 4,184 joules a kilocalorie.",
      "format": "number"
    },
    "perHour": {
      "label": "Calories per hour",
      "description": "The same rate over one hour.",
      "format": "number"
    },
    "watts": {
      "label": "Metabolic rate (W)",
      "description": "The Pandolf metabolic rate in watts.",
      "format": "number"
    },
    "packShare": {
      "label": "Pack as a share of body weight",
      "description": "Pack weight ÷ body weight.",
      "format": "percent"
    }
  },
  "defaultAnswer": {
    "inputs": {
      "weight": 81.6466266,
      "pack": 13.6077711,
      "speed": 1.34112,
      "grade": 0,
      "terrain": "paved",
      "min": 60
    },
    "outputs": {
      "calories": 331.0460692652517,
      "perHour": 331.0460692652517,
      "watts": 384.7490982793925,
      "packShare": 16.666666666666668
    },
    "text": "Rucking for 60 minutes burns about 331 calories."
  },
  "examples": [
    {
      "given": {
        "weight": 80,
        "pack": 20,
        "speed": 1.5,
        "grade": 0,
        "terrain": "paved",
        "min": 60
      },
      "expect": {
        "watts": 470,
        "calories": 404.3977055449331,
        "packShare": 25
      },
      "source": "Pandolf KB, Givoni B, Goldman RF, Predicting energy expenditure with loads while standing or walking very slowly, J Appl Physiol 1977;43:577 (M = 1.5W + 2.0(W + L)(L/W)² + η(W + L)(1.5V² + 0.35VG)), https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/908672/; hand calculation in content.mdx: 120 + 2 × 100 × 0.0625 + 1 × 100 × 3.375 = 470 W; 470 × 3,600 ÷ 4,184 = 404.4 kcal"
    },
    {
      "given": {
        "weight": 81.6466266,
        "pack": 13.6077711,
        "speed": 1.34112,
        "grade": 5,
        "terrain": "dirt",
        "min": 45
      },
      "expect": {
        "watts": 656.3619103675898
      },
      "source": "Pandolf KB, Givoni B, Goldman RF, Predicting energy expenditure with loads while standing or walking very slowly, J Appl Physiol 1977;43:577 (M = 1.5W + 2.0(W + L)(L/W)² + η(W + L)(1.5V² + 0.35VG)), https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/908672/; Wikipedia, Pandolf equation (terrain factors after Soule and Goldman 1972), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pandolf_equation (retrieved 2026-10-05); hand calculation in content.mdx",
      "tolerance": 1e-9
    },
    {
      "given": {
        "weight": 70,
        "pack": 0,
        "speed": 1.25,
        "grade": 0,
        "terrain": "sand",
        "min": 30
      },
      "expect": {
        "watts": 449.53125,
        "packShare": 0
      },
      "source": "Pandolf KB, Givoni B, Goldman RF, Predicting energy expenditure with loads while standing or walking very slowly, J Appl Physiol 1977;43:577 (M = 1.5W + 2.0(W + L)(L/W)² + η(W + L)(1.5V² + 0.35VG)), https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/908672/; Wikipedia, Pandolf equation (terrain factors after Soule and Goldman 1972), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pandolf_equation (retrieved 2026-10-05); hand calculation in content.mdx: 105 + 2.1 × 70 × 2.34375 = 449.53 W"
    }
  ],
  "sources": [
    "Pandolf KB, Givoni B, Goldman RF. Predicting energy expenditure with loads while standing or walking very slowly. Journal of Applied Physiology. 1977;43(4):577-581, retrieved 2026-10-05. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/908672/",
    "Wikipedia. Pandolf equation: the equation and the terrain factors from Soule and Goldman (1972), retrieved 2026-10-05. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pandolf_equation",
    "NIST Special Publication 811, Appendix B: 1 lb = 0.45359237 kg, 1 mph = 0.44704 m/s, 1 kcal (thermochemical) = 4,184 J, retrieved 2026-10-05. https://www.nist.gov/pml/special-publication-811"
  ],
  "related": [
    "calories-burned-walking",
    "treadmill-calorie",
    "calories-burned"
  ],
  "changelog": []
}