i bet the weather here beats CR in july, usually fairly cool at night warm to  hottish during the late day, early evening -low to no humidity. Super long days too.

There are a lot of dirt rd options in the whitefish area but unless you have unlimited time i would fly here (or to GEG and then overnight train) From nyc to whitefish will probably eat up 3 days each way. You could ship your bike to Glacier cyclery and have them re assemble. once here there are some great loops - you could ride north in the salish's then pick up the GDMBR down to say seeley lake, wend your way west through the missions to Arlee and hot springs then head north back to whitefish- a lot depends on desired mileage, terrain etc.

in NW mt i have looked at the maps and read the descriptions. Looks like a ton of vert, some of it seeming to be pointless i believe parts are still just a route without tread. I think Casey might have some  insights. The portion from Glacier to Eureka/Roosville may be a problem long term as there is likely to be a recommendation for a new wilderness there, probably with the road corridor Grave creek trail creek continuing but much of the rest off limits.

all are good options
i tend to like the cottage manufacturers as that seems to be where more of the innovation is coming, the production tends to be domestic and the distributors and retailers margins are internalized.

generally your fabric options are 2 fold - sil-nylon and cuben fiber
the silnylon is generally heavier, deals with abrasion a bit better and has some stretch, the stretch is an advantage with regard to pitching and shock absorption in a storm. It is a disadvantage in that the fabric tends to sag when wet. Too, the sil-nylon absorbs a fair amount of water and will take a while to dry.

Sil-nylon is not fire retardant at all so be very careful around flame. The larger distributors ( brands) address this with a PU coating which does lessen the fire risk but also has 2 negative traits- it tends to make the fabric weaker and vulnerable to mold/mildew with resultant delamination.

Cuben fiber fabrics tend to be much lighter, stronger and more expensive. Cuben is essentially a laminate of spectra and mylar, the more spectra the stronger the fabric the more mylar the longer the water proofing lasts. the fabric does not absorb water and does not stretch when wet. The fabric also tends not to stretch much under load- this makes a taught pitch tougher and the shelter can end up being noisier in a storm. Generally these shelters are a good bit lighter and pack much smaller.

I tend to not look at freestanding as a positive trait in a UL tent- generally if the tent is strong and freestanding then the pole structure is substantial.
All tents need to be secured to the ground or they become expensive kites, so why not have those attachments add strength?
Any tent deals with wind better when guyed out.

All this info and a metric ton more is over at BPL
The needs of the UL backpacker are really similar

here's a lighter, smaller packed size option- 2 doors 2 vestibules 20 oz. we love ours
expensive though
 for other ideas and reviews check out backpackinglight.com


Zpacks hexamid duplex

from the website:

Tarp Dimensions:
Peak Height: 48" (122 cm)
Ridgeline Width: 53" (135 cm)
Width including vestibules: 86.5" (220 cm)
Vestibule space: 20.75" depth on each side (53 cm)
Length: 100" (254 cm)

Interior Dimensions:
Peak Height: 48" (122 cm)
Floor Width: 45" (114 cm)
Floor Length: 7.5 feet (2.3 meters)
Zipper entry height: 36" (91 cm)

Weight:

The Duplex Tarp with taped seams weighs 8.1 ounces (230 grams)
 
The included guy lines and clips weigh .9 ounces (25 grams)
 
The sewn in Cuben Fiber bathtub floor and bug screen weigh 10.0 ounces (284 grams)
 
The included medium 6" x 12" stuff sack adds .3 ounces (8 grams)
 
The total weight for the tent is 19.3 ounces (547 grams).
 
8 Stakes are not included. 8x Ultralight Titanium stakes, and a stake sack will add 1.6 ounces (45 grams), bringing the total packed weight to 20.9 ounces (592 grams). That is just 10.5 ounces per person!

These weights are as accurate as possible. Compare carefully! Many other manufacturers leave out seam sealing, lines, stuff sack, stakes, etc from their weights.

Nice Casey,
Been thinking about a trip over that way, been exploring the salishes lately and occasionally get some great views across Koocanusa

Been looking at the PNT maps for some connector ideas, man that trail goes up and down.

for the the ultimate in CF knowledge you might check into backpackinglight.com
in my limited experience and knowledge its a fairly smooth surface material that is somewhat crinkly and stiff. You can stuff it, though i am finding to get the packed size small folding and rolling seems best.

the type and weight of cf has a large impact on its properties.

as i understand it the fabric is a sandwich of dyneema fibers and mylar.

the lack of stretch and when both dry and wet is nice but does make pitching tougher and potentially noisier. Strength is great but abrasion resistance on the lighter weights is the weak point.

Much nicer and lighter to pack when wet than sil-nylon

I live outside of whitefish , my driveway is on the GDR. Can't say i'm from here as I've  only  been here 9 years but it suits me awfully well. Not sure about Caleb, I'll ask some time. They watch our dog. You know you live in a cool place when you call your dog sitters and ask if they can take your dog while you go bike packing and the answer is yes but they might not be there because they plan on bike packing at the same time.

well here is one he may not know- there is a new brewery on grave creek road
http://montanabrewers.org/breweries/homestead-ales/
might consider that a hazard to navigation ,but oh what fun

no problem, when are you coming thru?
if i get more info ill post it
if you want any suggestions on side routes etc let me know

This week on a ride from nelson to whitefish i ran into some folks in grasmere who had been riding with Jill They mentioned that at the time she had not been allowed in despite having what seemed to be to me far more cash than i or most would have had. Living near the border i have often found the canadians tougher to deal with than the us guys.

i have not been to red meadow pass lately but i live in the area and doubt that its not all cleaned up by now, at least as far as bikes go. that route gets a lot of usage

solplex was my first choice but a used skyscape x came up so i went for it
hoping i like it- its been rainy since i got it so i have not set it up

hey sfd,
any chance of getting your route and thoughts on it? i like that area

nice, looking forward to hearing how you like it

hobo
did you get a solplex?

A shakedown trip on the bitterroot 300 and a trip last week in the salish's got me thinking about doing some longer routes or loops around the northern id/mt border or bitterroot divide .I've been thinking about going from home (whitefish) through the salish's to thonpson falls area thence a roundabout route toward lolo pass area, seems like there are a ton of roads/ trails in the region- i assume from mining/timber

any suggestions for recommended roads or trails? ones to definitely avoid? cool things to check out?

many thanks
Bill

did you try sportsman's ski haus? (whitefish and kalispell) they would be the only shop open on a sunday

what type of hanger?

Mac
did your revolution ever show up?

OP
you probably have a tent by now but i did a ton of research and basically what you get typically with the cottage manufacturers is more livable space per weight and reasonable cost (sil nylon) or more livable space for  far less weight but high price (cuben). Because i already have a contrail i was looking to save weight (especially when wet), packed space and have better entry/sit-up and change room. I do most of my trips in nw mt and bc so a tent made the best sense as bugs are an issue most of the season. It came down to 2 tents the skyscape x and the solplex which were both around a pound and very livable/secure. I found a lightly used  skyscape x on BPL so i bought it. First trip w/it is this weekend

well the rain has turned to snow in whitefish and northern flathead valley floor
2000 ft lower than predicted.
would hate to be up in the whitefish range right now.
looks like 5-6 inches during the day today on big mountain