Out on the trail, when is it good form to offer unsolicited advice? When is it good form to offer unwanted advice? Is it only when the advice might save someone from serious jeopardy, or is it also okay when it just might be a little bit helpful? I am accustomed to know-it-alls on line...and guilty of being one...however I have often been taken a bit aback by how forward many backpackers seem to be with their knowledge when you meet them on the trail. Maybe it is just me, but my opinion is that it is just not good form to spout advice and opinions to those one encounters briefly and casually trailside. Being entitled to one's opinion does not imply the propriety of always sharing it.