Over the years hammocks have been made from many different materials, probably the earliest hammocks were woven from the bark of the Hamak tree, the tree bark was broken down into fibrous strips and wand woven into very rustic hammocks, its probably the use of the Hamak fiber that resulted in the term Hammock being used today. In the Yucatan region of Central America the fibers of the Agave cactus plant have been processed into the natural fiber called henequen or Sisal, which has long been used for textiles such as blankets, clothing and ultimately hammocks, still to this day if you search hard enough you can find Mayan Hammocks hand woven from henequen or Sisal fiber. Over time the production of Sisal diminished and has been replaced by cotton. In a comparison between natural Cotton and Sisal it has been noted that while the Sisal fiber is a little more robust against the elements the Cotton fiber wins out in level of comfort. Another natural fiber that has been used in the production of hammocks is Hemp fiber, which has excellent comfort and is resistant to rot, mold and mildew, however the cultivation of the hemp plant remains illegal in many countries and hence the cost of hemp fiber on the open markets is over inflated.
The two problems associated with any natural fiber for use in hammock are that they are very susceptible to rot, mold and mildew, also any colors used to dye the hammocks tend to fade rapidly when exposed to UV or run into each other when soaked by rain water.
Polyester was first introduced for use in hammocks by companies like Pawleys Island Hammocks, Hatteras Hammocks and Nags Head Hammocks, these three companies are recognized in the hammock industry for manufacturing American style ‘rope’ hammocks. Polyester ‘Rope’ hammocks are characterized by true hammock aficionados as uncomfortable and very unstable, when using a ‘rope’ hammock the thick losely woven polyester ropes rapidly start to dig into your skin leaving a cross hatched pattern on any exposed areas.
Recently soft-spun polyester hammocks have been introduced into the market with Caribbean Hammocks, these hammocks utilize ultra comfortable hand twisted soft-spun polyester cords which are closely woven into a micro weave design offering amazing levels of comfort and stability. The other advantage of soft-spun polyester is that it will not rot, mold or mildew even under the harshest of conditions. Because soft-spun polyester is factory dyed the colors will not run into each other or come off on your clothing or skin if they happen to get soaked in the rain. Factory dyed soft-spun polyester is also much more UV resistant than standard cotton cords giving colors a much longer life span outdoors.
The knowledge that you own the most comfortable is very satisfying, add to that the fact that you can leave your soft-spun polyester hammock in the elemets just adds to your level of relaxation.