Thanks for the input Wayne, as has been the case too often since I've come here, my first ideas are nearly always not the best
Your suggestion makes a lot of sense to me...the more I read and see the more having a versatile setup seems the best route, having a comforter would probably make coping with really large temperature ranges easy while maximizing comfort.
I'm doing my best to get into this while NOT preparing based on any fears but as my age I'm no longer considering myself invulnerable nor incapable of being caught out by fatigue induced mistakes. My day hikes have taught me the trail is wonderful place and in the grand scheme of things, pretty safe, but after running into copperheads, reading about the guy dying by falling into a ravine and having no experience humping 40lbs over PA rocky footing I'm really focusing on being able to get good rest to keep a clear head and good trail focus.