Ah, such memories. Went through the delights of many screen protectors on PDA's and smartphones for years. Learned to buy them in quantity so I could throw a tantrum trying to install several before getting one on successfully.
Then I bought a Motorola Droid with "Gorilla Glass" (same as the iPad 2.) Decided to take a chance and skip the screen protector. Two years later and the screen is virtually perfect. Same with the iPad after about six months of heavy use.
Not to say that the screen is indestructible but under normal use and abuse, imo, there is no need for a screen protector.
http://gizmodo.com/5726124/what-is-gorilla-glass