I'm a recent convert to hammocking and am planning to hike the AT flip-flop with either a Harper's Ferry or a Shenandoah start when I finish my graduate program. I'm buying my hammock gear now so I can test it, do shakedown hikes, and tweak as necessary. I'd love any and all advice you can offer! Here's what I was thinking & my questions:

Cold insulation: 20F UQ + 20F TQ + HG Standard CF tarp w. doors
Warm Insulation: 40F UQ + 40F TQ + same tarp as above.

Questions:
---Should I be bringing a sleeping pad for if I have to go to ground? Are there any areas of the AT where this is necessary? The only areas I've been on have been in the Smokies, so plenty of trees there. I have a Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite & I don't counting grams...too much...
---Would bringing a pad make it possible for me to just bring a 30F UQ (and not have to buy two quilts...)? The only hammock camping I've done has been in pretty warm weather where I used a thin pad and no UQ with my sleeping bag, so I don't know how such a thick pad would work in the hammock. If I used the 30F UQ and the pad in the hammock at the same time would you think I'd be uncomfortable/too cold in the winter?
---If going to ground with a top quilt, what do you do? Do you have a pad and no liner? If so, is the pad uncomfortable/do you feel like your skin sticks to it? Thoughts on this....?


I'd love any advice you have -- and any gear recommendations you have! I've been thinking that the EE quilts are the best choice for me as far as weight, but they're so expensive. The Warbonnet Yeti seems like a good price and weight, but I'm wary about using a torso-length quilt. Thanks, y'all!