Must haves for a corn snake?

[kiiarah]

Hi everyone! I usually stick to the python section of these forums but I have a friend who has recently caught the snake bug and is interested in getting his first snake! He is interested in getting a corn snake and has asked me to tell him exactly what he will have to plan on getting. I have read various care sheets, as has he, and some of them have some conflicting recommendations so I wanted to double check with the experts here for some clarification.

The biggest question I think is just whether they need a heat lamp, heat mat, or both? I have seen some people claim they use a heat mat only, but is there a risk of the ambient temperature not getting high enough if one goes that route?
The snake will be housed, at least initially, in a 30 gallon glass tank with a screen lid. I am reading that humidity is not a concern for them unless they encounter problems shedding, so that is good to hear.

Basically I am trying to provide him the most cost effective set up while still providing a healthy and ideal environment for the snake. So if we already have a tank, screen lid, locks and two matching hides, what else would you say is absolutely mandatory to have in place before bringing the snake home?

Thanks everyone, he is really excited to be getting into the hobby and I want him to have only good experiences!