Sure, an experienced satellite operator can work AO-27 with a long rubber-duck and a suitable HT in a rural area. Or with a 2 meter quarter-wave ground-plane and sensitive mobile rig. But those are more advanced modes of operation and they are NOT recommended for beginners. To be effective that way, you need to know already what AO-27 is likely to do, and that experience can be best gained with better, but still modest, equipment.
More on equipment later, including making do with what you have already and where you can cut corners. The most important thing to know about equipment for AO-27 is that if you have a good antenna system, the rest comes easily. The Arrow 146/436 hand-held yagi is specifically designed for this kind of operation and is highly recommended.
You do need to know when and where AO-27 will be overhead. Since you will probably be tracking by hand, you really don't need to know exactly. So, you can get a week or two of predictions off of the World Wide Web, or from a friend in the same general area. AO-27 operates in a polar orbit, so a compass may be handy to know approximately where in the sky to try first. But it is not essential. If you're hand-held and know approximately where in the sky the highest point in the pass will be, you don't need detailed predictions, and perhaps more importantly, you don't even need a rotor or elevator. You can track AO-27 by ear with practice.
Once you've gained some experience, you'll want to be set up a couple of minutes before the given pass of AO-27 begins. So, you may find some kind of programmable reminder system very helpful (such as a Palm Pilot or other 'organizer'-type computer that you can carry in your pocket).