Your tips for a good start

[Audiosmurf]

No reason you can't both do dusters and trinkets if you have enough materials to keep them going.

In the very early game, though, as in the first couple days, you have more efficient things you could be using mental weight on than dusters.

[Shadow7168]

Haven't played too much this world since my computer is a potato, but:

1/2: I usually play with 2-3, a hunter/forager, a cook/farmer/crafter, and a smith/miner created in that order. 4 might be a bit much for just one person, but that is really up to how much you play.
3: I prioritize melee hunting right after getting some decent per*exp and a bit of survival. It's great in the early game, you can hunt while doing quests which will speed up getting a claim and palisade greatly, and it supplies you with feps that are hard to find in the early game so I think it's worth it to start hunting asap. Also you'll have a better chance against people who rush rage since they'll likely have lower stats than you.
4/5: I usually spend about a day, maybe two looking for a good place. I usually look for a nearby swamp, grassland, cave and lake and settle a minimap or so away from the shore. Settling inland doesn't really make much sense if you're just going to build a road to the water since every nosy person is going to take a peek anyways. Those den things are also useful to keep your stuff out of sight but you don't really have much of value anyways so it's not a big deal if it gets stolen.
6: Study desk and meat grinders are a priority, in the meantime crops, chickens and tree farms are always good to get started right away.
7: I don't really bother building much of a first camp, it's usually just a claimed and fence'd cave that I store my junk in while gathering the materials to build the main camp. I spend 2-3 days tops in that stage.

Early game curios I tend to go for are cone cows, dandelions, dragonflies, trinkets and cummy manlets or bark boats. They're all very easy to get in bulk and conecows add up really quickly if you're active/rush a study desk.

Obviously it's only how I do things and it's far from optimal, but hey.

[Audiosmurf]

cummy manlets

[Shadow7168]

cummy manlets

Dewy Ladies Mantles

[Kamekono]

Thanks guys, I see some great tips.

I've always ignored tree planting early, but I realise it's something that takes a lot of time and it's probably better to start asap.

Speaking of trails, how do you feel about it? I've always been skeptical. On one side, it's very useful and saves you a ton of time to get to your resources (maybe clay, or a cave, or a special resource), but on the other it makes it a lot easier for other people to find your camp (and rob it). Any tips about it?

[MagicManICT]

If you don't have a wall up (wall, not fence), don't. It does make you easier to find. Once you have a wall up, just make a daily check in the area for wrecking balls, rams, or catapults.

I wouldn't call roads convenient... just fast. They're annoying as hell to build, annoying to maintain, and annoying to keep unblocked (and a risk on that point). That said... feel free to use them. I consider them more a tool for those that have people and time to deal with them. I'd rather spend mine dealing with more pressing matters.

[iamahh]

also Boat Building so you can pick more reeds for string, food and fast curio