Getting a Good Sleep
Drying your Bag
You'll want to air out your bag often. Down bags especially, suffer from moisture, and even if you keep yours dry, normal perspiration will begin to harm the effectiveness of down. If you happen to take a long lunch break, you might pull your bag out, and expose it to the sun. Be careful where you put it though. I spread mine out over a 4' high pine tree one day, and it picked up some sticky sap. Persistence and alcohol were necessary to remove it. Big sun-exposed boulders are ideal places to air your bag. Always use a heavy stone or two as anchors though, or a sudden gust of wind could carry it to an undesirable landing spot. If your bag is moist and you just don't have time to stop and dry it, you could pin it over your pack like a robe for an hour of so.
After rinsing off, I use light synthetic long underwear as substitute pajamas. These have a dual role as cool weather gear as well. Some people like to sleep in the buff, but I like my synthetic base layer and it helps keep my bag cleaner too. Sleeping pads are important because they insulate and cushion you from the hard ground. For this reason, many people are fond of inflatable Therm-a-Rest style pads. While these are comfortable, they are also heavy, and can be punctured. Consequently, most thru-hikers opt for lighter closed-cell foam pads like the Therm-a-Rest Z-pad. These are thinner, though and don't provide much protection from the ground. To improve your comfort, try to find some thick duff and/or use your other gear between your pad and ground-cloth. Another tip is to create a little depression in the ground where your hips will be before laying out your sleeping gear.
Some people have a hard time sleeping on the trail. I usually do for the first few nights out. Though, I'm not a fan of pills, I do take along a couple of sleeping pills for that situation. Do whatever works for you—it's important to get a good rest. After the first few days, the hard work of hiking tires me out and helps me get to sleep quickly.
If you hike during mosquito season, you'll want insect netting, or you'll spend a miserable night. This comes built into tents, and even light-weight tarp-tents, but if you use a tarp, you'll need extra bug netting. There are several ways to go about this including sewing your own. There are also small free-standing ones like the Adventure 16 bug bivvy that cover just your head and shoulders. Whatever you choose, definitely test it out before you go on a long hike.
Bears...Oh, my