Welcome, TitanDriver!

This is not for you, but for any other new folks following this thread: it's generally considered a good idea to buy the pack last, so you know that the rest of your gear (plus food and water) will fit in the pack but won't have a lot of extra room to tempt you to take a lot of stuff you don't need...

In your case, TD, you've bought an excellent pack that will have a good resale value (because of its popularity). So don't worry about the above "rule." If you eventually find it's too big or too heavy, you won't have any trouble selling it. In the meantime, you have a great pack! Just don't be tempted to fill it up with items you don't need, should it turn out to be a little too big.

My son has the Aether 85, but he not only acts as sherpa for his kids (plus food for all 4 of us in a bear canister) but carries a wet suit, since he backpacks in to surf Olympic wilderness beaches. So he has up to 45 lbs. and a lot of bulk in it, especially on the way out when the wet suit is wet!

Suggestion: do a lot of research and consider borrowing or renting gear before you make a big investment. Plan on testing all your gear in your back yard (or borrow someone else's if you don't have a yard), keeping the gear clean so you can return it if it doesn't work out. Especially practice putting your tent up and taking it down--that's not something you want to tackle for the first time in the dark on a cold, wet night! Every time I get a new piece of gear, it's out in the back yard for a night or two. Any time I haven't done this, I've been sorry!

To me, the most important items for comfort are (1) my sleeping pad (I use a POE insulated air mattress) and (2) my sleeping bag (Western Mountaineering Ultralite Super). A good night's sleep is one of the "essentials," IMHO. I have the 20* bag because I sleep cold and because I like to backpack at high altitude where (especially in the Rockies) it's often below freezing at night. I use the air mattress because my old bones need lots of cushioning. I suspect that you very likely won't need this much sleeping bag in the southeast except for winter outings. And you can determine how much pad you need first by trying it on the floor in the store and then by spending a couple of nights with it on the floor at home. Believe me, some camp sites (especially where you have to use "established" sites) are just as hard!