Tools required:
Lumberjack tool (axe, fire axe, chainsaw etc)
Miner tool (pickaxe)
Hammer (not sledgehammer)
Handsaw (very important for when you start farming)

Canteen (or components thereof)!
Seeds/Vegetables
Cloth and clothing,
Rope
Duct Tape
Cans

You need a backpack first and foremost, otherwise you can't hold much of anything.
Best are:
Alicepack (20 slots 20 kg) or Rucksack (25 slots 17.5 kg)
Coyotepack (20 slots 15kg)
Travelpack (16s 12.5kg)
Schoolbag (12s 10kg)
Animalpack (10s 10 kg)
(but like the best also allows for 5 hotkeys and is craftable!)
Knapsack (8s 7.5kg)

Make sure you get *a* pack, then work your way up as you loot along seems the best strategy.

How to craft Animalpack?
4 animal pelts (deer/pig)
1 duct tape (duct tape is findable, but also crafted by 1 can+ 1 Animal pelt)

Obviously the next step is defending yourself. I prefer melee weapons to start off with, as they don't require new ammo and give you a reliable minimum defensivity.
Personal order of preference: (DMG-Range-Spd)

Chainsaw 8-M-Const.
Katana 60-L-F
Bayonet Attachment 60-n/a-F

Baseball Bat 45-L-F
Machete 50-M-sF
Sledgehammer 100-L-S

Fire Axe 75-L-M/S
Frying Pan 35-M-F
Axe 60-L-S
Pickaxe 60-L-S

Hammer 25-M-F
Branch 25-M-F
Golf Club 50-L-S

Blowtorch 4-vS-Const.
Kitchen Knife 40-S-vF

Crowbar 40-S-F
Pocket Knife 35-S-vF
Handsaw 35-S-F

Police Baton 30-S-F
Butcher Knife 25-S-vF
Handlamp/Torch 10-S-F
Fists 14-vS-F

As far as skills go, survival is a good one to spend a lot of experience on early, as I generally find I get killed by dehydration/starvation/sickness way before the zombies get to me.

Thirst is most easily combatted with a canteen: these can be refilled at any water source!
Canteens can be found in military/industrial locations.
It can also be crafted with:

1 Can+ 1 Bottled water= Canteen

1 Moldy Bottled Water+1 Purification Tablets= 1 Bottled Water
2 Scrap Metal * Hammer= 1 Can

2 Stone+Campfire= 1 Scrap Metal
4 Stones+4 Sticks= Campfire
1 Rocks=3 Stone
(8 Stones/3 Rocks, and 4 Sticks, required for scrap metal)

You can still your hunger by hunting, looting or farming. The looting should be self explanatory and the hunting is a tad difficult if youre still only using melee weapons. So, its time to settle down and build a farm!

To make your 'base', it might be useful to craft a sleeping bag/cot first:
7 Cloth+ 2 Duct Tape= 1 Sleeping Bag
8 Cloth+ 5 Scrap Metal= Cot

Seeds can be crafted from vegetables and moldy vegetables alike.
Fresh Potato (-30) Fresh Corn (-25) All other Vegetables (-20)

Farms:
1 Wooden Foundation + 4 Fertilizer = 1 Greenhouse Foundation

(1 Wooden Foundation= 3 Wooden Frames= 6 Wooden Plates= 12 Wooden Boards= 3 Logs)

1 Rope+ 1 Cloth= 3 Fertilizer
1 Cloth * Handsaw= 2 Rope

Practically any clothing= 1-3 Cloth
(Magic Cloak/Poncho 3, all the rest 2 except:
Pink Shirt/Sailor Fatigues shirt and Khaki/Brown Pants)

Try to avoid eating moldy food unless you absolutely have to. Boost up your immunity stat once youve boosted the survival and warrior stat. Raid pharmacies, use crushed pink berries.

Vaccine -50%
Crushed Pink Berries -25%
Antibiotics -25%
Medkit -20%
Vitamins -15%
Purification Tablets -5%
Dressing -5%

Once you're settled on your farm the only real cause for sickness would be zombie bites, this should be combatable with simple looted items or the prevalent berry bushes.

2 pink berries * Stone= Crushed Pink Berries

Healing supplies by strength in x, with sickness reducing y: x% (y%)

Blood Bag 100
Medkit 50 (20, fixes broken legs)
Antibiotics 50 (30)
Painkillers 30 (Returns colour)
-Dressings 20 (5, stops bleeding)
-Crushed Blue/Green/Pale 20
-Splint 10 (Fixes broken legs)
Morphine 10 (Fixes broken legs)
-Bandages 10 (Stops bleeding)
Adrenaline 10 (Restores Stamina)
-Crushed Red/Purple 10
Vaccine 10 (50)
-Rag 5 (Stops Bleeding)
-Crushed Pink 5 (25)
Vitamins 0 (15)
Purification Tablets 0 (5)

Craftables:
1 Dressing= 2 Bandages= 4 Rags= 8 Cloths
1 Scrap Metal+ 2 Stick= 1 Splint
2 Berries * Stone= Crushed Berries

Berries and Splints seem the most efficient, perhaps allowing for an occasional rag to stop bleeding.
Bleeding occurence is lessened by warrior perk however.

Just to help you remember:
Don't eat red or purple berries.
The rest are fine, if you dont mind hallucinating. (Pale/Blue=halucinogenic)

All crushed berries are fine.
Crushed Pink berries cure 25% sickness

Once you have your farm, you need to protect it: Time to build a base.
Get Crafting up to level 1/2 with the experience you get from gathering resources too.

Storage:
Level 1 Craftsman:
Crate (4 slots, unlocked)
3 Wooden Crosses + 2 Wooden Frames = 1 Wooden Crate

6 Wooden Support = 3 Wooden Cross
12 Stick = 6 Wooden Support
(3 Boards * Handsaw= 12 Stick
1 Log= 4 Boards)

4 Wooden Plates = 2 Wooden Frame
8 Wooden Boards = 4 Wooden Plate
2 Log = 8 Boards

Level 2 Craftsman:
Chest (6 slots, locked)
1 Crate + 3 Wooden Crosses = 1 Chest (requires level 2 Craftsman)
total: 24 Sticks+ 2 Logs /or/ 4 Logs

Metal Locker (4 slots, locked)
1 Crate + 3 Scrap Metal = 1 Metal Locker
total: 2 Logs, 12 Stick, 3 Scrap Metal--> Less efficient than just chopping a load of wood and building a Chest ;)

Simple yet durable traps include:
Caltrop
Barbed Fence

1 Caltrop= 2Nails= 1 Scrap Metal= 2 Stone*Campfire (1 Rocks= 3 Stone)
2 Rocks yield 3 Caltrops

2 Wooden Supports + 3 Barbed Wire = 1 Barbed Fence
(2Wooden Supports= 4 Sticks= 1 Board*Handsaw)
3 Barbed Wire= 6 Wire= 3 Scrap Metal*Handsaw= 6Stones*Campfire= 2Rocks
2 Rocks, 1 Board yield 1 Barbed Fence

An easily renewable ranged weapon is the bow and arrow:
3 Wooden Support + 2 Rope= Longbow
1 Nail + 1 Stick = 3 Arrows

6 Stick= 3 Wooden Support
1 Cloth*Handsaw= 2 Rope

1 Wooden Foundation= 3 Logs fully crafted (board-plate-frame)

1 Dock Foundation = 1 Wooden Foundation + 2 Wooden Ladders

9 Sticks + 1 Duct Tape = 1 Wooden Ladder
(Duct Tape= Animal Pelt+ Can, Can= 2Scrapmetal*Hammer)

2 Sticks + 2 Bolts = 1 Brazier (Lighting)
1 Scrap Metal*Fire= 2 Bolts

4 Sticks+ 4 Stones= Campfire

Stone Support= 1 Stone+ 1 Board
Pillar= 2 Supports+ 1 Board
Wall= 2 Frame (8 Stone) + 1 Pillar (2 Stone 3 Boards)
Doorway= Wall + Support
Window= Doorway + Support

Metal Door= 1 Wooden Door + 3 Scrap Metal
Wooden Door= 1 Wooden Frame + 1 Bolts

Wooden Platform= 3 Plates + 1 Cross
Wooden Ramp= 1 Platform + 2 Supports
Wooden Hole= 1 Platform+ 1 Frame
Wooden Ladder= 9 Stick+ 1 Duct Tape

2 Stone Posts= 1 Stone Pillar
2 Stone Ramparts= 1 Stone Wall

Garage= 1 Stone Window + 1 Stone Support
Gate= 2 Metal Shutters + 2 Bolts

Metal Shutter= 1 Wooden Shutter + 3 Scrap Metal
Wooden Shutter= 1 Bolts + 1 Wooden Door

Cool clothes (personal preference)
Forest/Desert Armor (Military Zones)
Military Night Vision Goggles (Military Zones)
Bayonet Attachment (MILITIA Zones)
Compound Bow (Agricultural Areas)
Chainsaw (Agricultural Areas)
Rucksack/Alice Pack (Military Zones)

For which areas give which kind of drops, see the second map in the map section.

Though I favour the bow, by the time you have all your favourite gear and a comfy base set up somewhere you have enough carrying capacity to try out the various kinds of guns without being too dependent on their ammo, always being able to fall back on the easily crafted arrows.
Below however are all the ranged weapons and their stats ordered by strength within their ammo type:

Weapon-Type/Ammo-Type Dmg-Range-Ammo Capacity (Ammo Refill)

Bows/Arrows
-Compound bow 99-200-1
-Crossbow 99-150-1
-Longbow 70-150-1

Pistols (not worth saving)
-Desert Falcon/Swift 67-60-7 (1Civ)
-Magnum/Winchester 65-50-6 (1Civ)
-Berette/Lebel 35-100-13 (1Civ)
-Colt/Swift 35-100-7 (1Civ)

Shotguns
(Fire Buckshot OR Slugs, Buckshot Spreads:short range, Slug is a single shot:Med-range)
-Novuh 216/18x12 -20-5
-Double Barrel 240/20x12 -20-2
-Lever Action 192/16x12 -15-4

(Sniper)Rifles & Semi-Assault Rifles
-Timberwolf/Lapua 115-400-8 (?Milt)
-Matamorez/Xtrmin 99-350-10 (1Civ)
-Mosen/Bonjour 90-300-5 (1Civ)
-Outfield/Bonjour 85-325-5 (1Civ)
-Swissgewehr/NATO 81-400-30/100 (2/4Milt)

Assault Rifles/SMG's (SMG's only useful if you happen to see the magazines, not worth refilling)
-Zubekanov/Savage 81-400-35/75 (2/3Civ) (NEED vertical grip on this!)
-Maplestrike/NATO 81-400-30/100 (2/4Milt)
-Proninety/PDW 36-250-50 (2Milt)
-Uzi/Yuri 31-200-40 (2Civ)

Attachments:
Barrel: Flash Hider
Tactical: Grip, Bayonet, Laser
Sights:
Non magnifying:
Full Circle Rail for Shotguns
Point Circle Rail for Non-magnification (the two colours means it is easier to aim at night, no matter the background)
Dual Point Rail

Magnifying/Scopes:
20x (Timberwolf Preattached)
12x Zoom (Military)
7x Scope (Matamorez Preattached)
6x Scope (Military)
1.5x Red Dot Sight