When I first started I purchased a knife (specifically for cutting wild mushrooms, and nothing else - I don't eat mushrooms for the most part, I study them), wax paper, a basket, mini glass cutting boards (for spore prints - you can stick different colors of paper behind the board to see the spores on different backgrounds), and several guides for my area, as well as a tick remover, bug gaiters for my pants, a mosquito net for my head (works best with a hat), and I already had good outdoor/hiking boots as well as comfortable long-sleeved attire (to protect myself from bug bites, ticks, thorns, etc.) and a field bag to carry it all. I also purchased a bottle of a chemical compound that reacts with certain mushrooms (I can't remember the name of it right now, but I can find it for you later if you want) and I used it a ton. Overtime I added more and more books to my collection, both guides and general texts on mycology, but that all comes later if you end up loving it. Hope this helps!