Completed my thru-hike a few weeks ago and thought I'd post what set-up I used. I started in Maine on July 2nd and finished in Georgia the day after Thanksgiving. My set-up changed as the weather changed but the overall system stayed pretty much the same.

Hammock - Warbonnet Ridgerunner with shortened dogbones and carbon fiber stretcher bars; switched to a netless RR and Spindrift in southern PA
Under quilt - started with 50 degree torso length Lynx and switched to a 20 degree full length Lynx in Glasgow, VA
Top quilt - started with a 40 degree Burrow and switched to a 20 degree Burrow in Glasgow, VA
Tarp - HG Palace in DCF with carbon fiber spreader poles

My starting set-up was designed for low weight and volume. The pack I was using was small (Pa'lante V2) and the max resupply I could carry with the light set-up was about four days. After that I ran out of pack space and weight carrying capacity. Once I switched to the 20 degree quilts, I switched packs to a ZPAcks Arc Blast and still had some room left, easily carrying any weight I put in it.

I only had trouble with cold weather in southern PA (south of Hamilton to Rt 30 west of Gettysburg). Night temps in the low 40s to low 30s. I did a fair bit of hostel hopping through there and was able to get inside for most of it. Picked up the netless RR and Spindrift in Gettysburg and that allowed me to keep the light quilts and my small pack for another couple of weeks. Night temps went also back into the upper 40s to low 50s so I had no trouble. Once I got the heavier quilts in Glasgow I never worried about night temps and never felt cold until I had to get out of bed in the morning.

Overall the set-up worked well. I've been using a RR for several years and am very happy with it. I am more than willing to carry the little extra weight of the spreader bars to get the comfort it provides. The tarp was light and packed pretty small. I did get a bit nervous when the wind was up since it is a big tarp but it came through the remnants of a hurricane with no issue while in the Whites in early August so that was mostly wasted energy. The only damage to the tarp was two punctures from the ends of the hammock spreader bars when it was pitched in "storm mode" and I was lax about how I got in and out of the hammock. Both were easily repaired with DCF repair tape. The quilts worked fine and the only change I might make is to see if the V2 would hold a full length 50 degree UQ. I was always able to find a place to hang the hammock although I did have to use a few less than ideal spots. There are a lot of trees on the east coast but not all are the right size or distance apart or free from other trees/undergrowth. The RR does need a bit more space due to its length even with shortened suspension.

Harlan Hastings
NPT Nobo 2013, AT Sobo 2020