# How many rucking calories burned?

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.

- Page: https://www.acalculator.org/health/rucking-calorie-calculator
- JSON spec: https://www.acalculator.org/health/rucking-calorie-calculator.json
- Version: d0e30add33e9

## Default answer

Example with the default inputs (Body weight 180 lb, Pack weight 30 lb, Speed 3 mph, Grade (%) 0, Terrain Paved road or treadmill (1), Minutes 60): Rucking for 60 minutes burns about 331 calories.

## Inputs

| Key | Label | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| weight | Body weight | Your body weight without the pack. |
| pack | Pack weight | The weight of the loaded pack or vest. |
| speed | Speed | Your walking speed. |
| grade | Grade (%) | The uphill slope in percent; 0 on flat ground. |
| terrain | Terrain | The ground you walk on, which sets the terrain factor. |
| min | Minutes | How long you ruck, in minutes. |

## Outputs

| Key | Label | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| calories | Calories burned | Metabolic rate × time ÷ 4,184 joules a kilocalorie. |
| perHour | Calories per hour | The same rate over one hour. |
| watts | Metabolic rate (W) | The Pandolf metabolic rate in watts. |
| packShare | Pack as a share of body weight | Pack weight ÷ body weight. |

## 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.

## Worked examples

1. weight = 80, pack = 20, speed = 1.5, grade = 0, terrain = paved, min = 60 gives watts = 470, calories = 404.397706, 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/.
2. weight = 81.646627, pack = 13.607771, speed = 1.34112, grade = 5, terrain = dirt, min = 45 gives watts = 656.36191. 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).
3. weight = 70, pack = 0, speed = 1.25, grade = 0, terrain = sand, min = 30 gives 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).

## FAQ

### How many calories does rucking burn?

It depends on your weight, the pack, speed, slope and ground. An 80 kg (176 lb) person carrying 20 kg (44 lb) at 1.5 m/s (3.4 mph) on a flat paved road burns about 404 calories an hour by the Pandolf equation.

### How is the rucking calorie burn calculated?

With the Pandolf equation: metabolic rate in watts = 1.5W + 2.0(W + L)(L ÷ W)² + η(W + L)(1.5V² + 0.35VG), where W is body weight and L pack weight in kg, V speed in m/s, G grade in percent and η the terrain factor. Watts × seconds ÷ 4,184 gives kilocalories.

### Does a heavier pack burn more calories?

Yes. The pack adds to the weight you move at every step, and the (L ÷ W)² term adds extra cost when the pack is heavy compared with your body weight. Doubling the pack does more than double that term.

### How much does walking uphill add?

A lot. The grade term 0.35 × V × G grows with both speed and slope, so a 5% grade at 3 mph adds more energy than the level-walking term at the same speed.

### What terrain factor should I use?

Use 1.0 for a paved road or treadmill, 1.1 for a dirt road, 1.2 for light brush, 1.5 for heavy brush, 1.8 for a swampy bog and 2.1 for loose sand. Soft ground makes each step cost more.

### Is rucking better than walking for calories?

At the same speed and time, yes, because you move more weight.

## 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