History of the hammock
Where does the hammock come from and when another hanged a hammock for the first time? That is not entirely clear and there are several stories where the first hammock came from. But one thing is for sure, the hammock has a long history. In a nutshell, a brief explanation of where today's hammocks originate.
What we know is that the Native Americans were already using hammocks when Christopher Columbus set foot on this continent. The Spanish immediately adopted the hammock on their sailing ships (because hammocks take up less space than a bed and absorb the movements of the ship, they are still used on some boats and Columbus introduced the hammock in Europe.
The Indian hammock
The hammock from the time of the ancient Indians was still made of tree bark. Doesn't sound very comfortable, but this dense material was very effective as a protection against bites from insects and other vermin on the underside of the hammock. Thus, the inhabitants of South and Central America kept themselves free from disease.
The Brazilian hammock
There are sources claiming that the hammock is a Brazilian invention. This is of course very possible. These people also benefited from a well-ventilated sleeping place safely above the ground. The fabric of a Brazilian hammock is woven on a loom and is therefore extra strong. This dense weave was originally intended as extra protection against vermin. This strong woven fabric is also less vulnerable to damage from, for example, buckles, buttons, zippers and shoes.
The Mexican hammock
Another variation on the hammock is the Mexican hammock. These hammocks have more the structure of a fishing net, they are currently also sold through various Oriental web shops. This open structure is not only cooling during hot days, but also provides enormous flexibility. I will not say whether it is comfortable or not.
The Western hammock
A Western variant of the hammock is the hammock with spreader bars, these spreader bars we now also see in various Bridge hammocks. This was developed by sailors. Because they could not lie diagonally due to limited space on board, they were swallowed up by the fabric of their hammock. With the spreader bar they opened the canvas so that they could lie straight and look around.
From the tropical rainforest, over the wild waves to your backyard: the hammock has made quite a journey. And over the years, this simple, but super smart invention has given us protection, comfort and, above all, a lot of fun! Today's hammocks can no longer be compared with the hammocks of that time. If you look at the hammocks that are now available on the market, you see a lot of development in lighter and super strong materials. America is therefore a forerunner in this market. The super light and strong materials such as the Hyper D rib fabrics or recently the ultra light Cloud rib fabric used by Dutchware come from America.
One thing is for sure, we enjoy sleeping in a hammock, campfire, etc.