We all learn something new every trip. Advice is often specific to people's personal experiences, however tips give a helpful opportunity to reflect on what will work for you. Some tips will contradict other tips; this tends to suggest that some areas have no generalisable 'correct' answer. This is most evident with trekking poles, consider that people are passionate about the subject and work out what's going to best for you and your friends.
Here are the common tips that you hear...