What is the Dakota Hammock?

Meet Dakota, the second hammock design launched in our line of FSO TribalWing hammocks. 

Wait, let's back up...so what are the TribalWing hammocks?

These are unique one-of-a-kind designs unlike anything you've seen before. That's a strong statement I know, but we guarantee you haven't and here's why.

Our team in Chiang Mai, Thailand sources fabric from a variety of local markets and hand select the most attractive designs that can only be found in Northern Thailand. We've spent years, literally, searching for unique fabrics that meet the strict criteria to become a hammock. 

The TribalWing hammocks like Dakota consist of 2 layers of fabric, one being a soft cotton blend making it reversible - lay on either side, it doesn't matter!

Although the material is much thicker than our nylon hammocks, it still packs inside a convenient carrying pouch. Due to the material being scarce and oftentimes a one-off, we generally carry limited inventory.

There are a handful of Hill Tribe communities in Northern Thailand where weaving fabric is a way of life. A lot of fabric found in Thailand is inspired by the distinctive tribal patterns that define these rural communities in the north.

Not all, but many of the designs are largely inspired by the 7 major Hill Tribe groups like the Hmong. There are an estimated 1.2 million members of the various tribes consisting of 1-2% of Thailand's overall population. 

If you've ever traveled Thailand you may notice the different styles of harem pants or "elephant pants" popular with backpackers and tourists. These aren't traditional tribal patterns but you can see some resemblance. 

We really wanted to offer some of these super cool designs with our hammocks but ran into roadblocks along the way. Over the years, we tested countless fabrics but nothing really came together as most aren't intended to hold much weight. Hammock fabric needs to meet some basic requirements.

Hammock fabric needs to be:

1. Lightweight

2. A tight weave

3. Weather resistant, colors don't bleed in water

4. Durable to hold the seams with weight

5. Strong enough to hold a human

6. Unapologetically beautiful!

After some searching and product testing we found fabric for our first TribaWing hammock, Koko. 

Now, the Dakota hammock by no means is a traditional tribal pattern, however you can see the blend of a Hmong-like tribal pattern mixed with an American Southwest vibe. When we found this fabric we knew we had a winner before even making a single one - it was meant to be!

Check out more details on Dakota here, and the Koko hammock as well.

Stay tuned, more TribalWing hammocks are in the works!