SAVOTTA HAWU 8 tent

Designed to accommodate 5-8 persons, represents a completely new way of designing portable group shelters. Aside from the usual center pole the Hawu can also be pitched around a tree trunk or hung from a branch, no corner poles are ever needed. One half of a Hawu tent can be used on it´s own as a tarp. The option to use a wood burning stove for warmth makes the Hawu 4 the most versatile small tent around. The Hawu is designed to survive and help you survive extreme conditions in both military and civilian outdoors use.

The Hawu story

The origins of the Hawu tents dates back to 1993 when Pasi Ylirisku (current CEO of Hawu Pro Oy) and his associates began to develop a new outdoors tent design. Since then these sworn outdoorsmen have developed, tested and improved the Hawu tent to perfection. The Hawu tents development process is a true labour of love, great amounts of care and love have been poured into the process over the years. In the autumn of 2016 Finn-Savotta OY and Hawu Pro Oy signed a partnership agreement, the Hawu tent design was finalized for serial production in co-operation with Savotta’s designers and the original Hawu design and development team. Materials were ordered and the experienced tent makers of Savotta started sewing the first production run of Hawu tents. The first batch which was completed and released for sale in the autumn of 2017. Now every self respection hiker can be a part of the Hawu story!

Design and pitching

Extra care has been put into making the Hawu tent as easy to pitch and as multi-functional as possible. The tent is made up of two halves of which each can be used on as a stand-alone “loue” style tarp. The two halves are attached to each other using zippers, the zippers are covered by a rolled storm flap which is secured by webbing tabs. When combined the two halves form a tent which can be pitched in three different ways:

1. As usual with a central pole

2. Around a tree, the tree functions as a central pole. The rear half comes with a military utility strap and strong carabiner for attachment around a tree trunk.

3. Hung from a branch or any other point (telephone wires will work, but are not recommended). Corner poles are not needed, the corner lines are pulled tight using specialty buckles, this design makes the tent “float” in perfect shape. Pitching is extremely easy and quick, even solo! Due to it´s special design the Hawu tent can be purchased in parts. For the basic tent setup you need the Door half and Rear half. Depending on how you want to pitch it you will also need a central pole and/or pegs. These can of course be made from pieces of wood out in the field but the easiest way is purchasing ready made, purpose built pegs and poles.

Comfort and adaptability

The complete Hawu tent provides shelter from bad weather and harsh conditions. However, even here in Finland, it sometimes happens that the sun shines and birds sing. During such anomalous weather you can adjust and adapt the Hawu to suit the situation, you can fold it open just a bit for a nice view or open it up completely and just keep the rear half as a wind shield. And when the weather gets real bad you can close all the hatches and add a wood burning stove and drying lines for wet clothes. For these the Hawu has a stove pipe port and tie down points ready and waiting. When you need more space you can add the Mid section which increases interior space to accommodate even more people

Safety and terrain

If you really want to get lost with the Hawu it´s easy: just pitch it around a lush tree and you won´t be spotted even from helicopters. In case a bear comes knocking or you throw a jacket on the stove and it catches fire don’t worry: the side zippers function as extremely fast emergency exits. The tent halves attach so that you can just push your way out through the joint in a hurry. You don´t have to fear the tent itself catching fire though, the Hawu is made from a fire retardant fabric. Don´t go fooling around though, you can burn a hole through the fabric if you really try and that is not covered by our warranty. The fire retardant fabric extinguishes itself as soon as it´s removed from direct contact with an open flame.

Innovations

Since the design of the Hawu tents took a lot of time it also gave birth to a number of unique innovations. Ideas are best when they are simple, but clever. The most important factors in the design process was utility and reliability, these would not be sacrificed for any complicated wonders and gimmicks. When examining a Hawu tent you get a feeling that everything is just how it should be.

Material: The best possible fabric was sought after for a long time. In the end a suitable specialty fabric was found that met all criteria. The fabric is waterproof enough but also breathable, it is also fire retardant and mildew resistant. The fabric is made from four different fibres of which two are naturally fire retardant, this makes the fabric inherently fire retardant which means it does not need any chemical treatments. One of the fibres is cellulose which expands when wet thus sealing the fabric. The fabric feels nice to the touch and the weight is reasonable.

Top loop + carabiner: The attachment system that secures the tip of the tent is made up from two webbing loops. This simple detail allows the Hawu to be pitched using a usual center pole, attached around a tree or hung from it´s tip.

Corner lines: The seams of the tent end in the corners to which quick tension buckles are attached. The shape of the corner and the tension buckles make the Hawu very quick and easy to pitch. The Hawu doesn´t need any corner poles or support rods, the tension of the corners keep it in perfect shape. The exact shape and angle of the corner pieces and the design of the tension buckles have been tuned to perfection through trial and error to make them as secure and functional as possible.

Ventilation: The tip of the tent features excess fabric which can be used to cover up the top completelty when pitched using a center pole. The tip can also be left completelty open or open on just one side depending on wind direction. This way the ventilation and evaporation of moisture can be controlled depending on the circumstances. When using a stove for warming the tent it is recomended to keep the tip open to allow the warm air to transport moisture out.

Stove compatibility: A stove can be used to warm up the tent and keep moisture at bay, all Hawu tents feature a stove pipe port. During extended outings in extreme cold weather a stove is not just a luxury, it´s a very important tool that make it possible to dry out wet gear, rest well and just overall keep you going.

Entrance: The zippered entrance is curved which makes opening it a breeze even with just one hand. The zipper is heavy duty and reliable. The door flap folds down and does not interfere with the action of the zipper. If you need extra grip for use with gloves on, just add a piece of cord to the zipper puller. The entrance is designed so that you step down into the tent, unlike in other similar tents where you must crawl through snow and wet moss to get inside.

Heat shield: The interior of the entrance feature a hanging piece of fabric which keep the heat trapped inside when the “door” is opened.

Tent joint: The two-part design make the Hawu unique. As the tent is made up from two separate pieces the weight can be divided among carriers for transport. When you get to your camp site just combine the halves and pitch the tent. If extra accommodation is needed you can add the extra mid section that adds 50% of space to the original tent. The pieces attach to each other using strong zippers and storm flaps. The rolled storm flaps form a secure and weatherproof seam which is secured using a webbing tab system designed by Savotta and Hawu.

Emergency exit: The joint of the tent parts is done so that when you need to you can just push your way out. The non-locking zipper and the webbing tabs just pop open when mass meets matter. If you´re not in a dire hurry we recommend using the zipper with normal care, the emergency exit feature is just that: an EMERGENCY exit.