Sentiments courtesy of Hatteras Hammocks…

It’s with both deep sadness and tremendous gratitude that we announce the passing of our founder, Walter R. Perkins Jr.—or as just about everyone here at Hatteras Hammocks has always called him, Mr. Perkins. Or more often, simply Mr. P.

Around here, we’ve always been kind of formally informal when it came to him. That’s just how it worked with Mr. P.—a mix of the deep respect he’s earned and the energetic fun that seemed to follow him wherever he went.

Mr. P.’s enterprising spirit and signature “why not?” attitude are the reasons this company exists in the first place—and the reasons it continues to grow and thrive today. His belief in hard work, curiosity, and never taking no for an answer has propelled Hatteras Hammocks forward for more than 50 years.
But really, where does one even begin with Mr. P.? Odds are, you’ve never met anyone quite like him.

“Colorful” doesn’t begin to cover it. Even well into his 80s, Mr. Perkins was still like human electricity—constantly on the move, always creating, inventing, tinkering, and improving. If you told him he couldn’t do something, you could count on seeing him do exactly that, just to prove you wrong.

The Hatteras story began back in 1971 with what Mr. P. often called the perfect example of a hobby turning into a business. While working as a buyer for the American Tobacco Company, Mr. Perkins took a simple request from his mother—to bring her back a rope hammock from the Carolina coast—and turned it into a full-fledged mission: to build a better hammock.

Armed with an inventor’s curiosity and a woodworker’s hands-on know-how, he started tweaking, testing, and improving the original design. Stronger rope. Safer chain. Better wood. Soon enough, Mr. P. was loading finished hammocks into the back of his old Toyota station wagon and selling them up and down the East Coast.

From those scrappy beginnings—first in his backyard shop, then in a second-floor room above a Greenville, North Carolina gift shop (where he famously tossed finished hammocks out the upstairs window onto a mattress below to avoid the stairs)—Hatteras Hammocks quickly blossomed. By 1987, under his leadership and restless drive for improvement, Hatteras Hammocks had become the world’s leading hammock producer.

But for Mr. Perkins, growth was never just about getting bigger—it was about getting better and creating opportunity. In 1997, under his vision and guidance, Hatteras Hammocks purchased the Original Pawleys Island Rope Hammock Company, one of the most iconic and respected names in outdoor relaxation. Then in 2004, we proudly added Nags Head Hammocks to the family—another well-loved coastal brand with a history and spirit Mr. P. deeply admired.

These milestones weren’t just business decisions. They were about preserving craftsmanship, supporting local communities, and sharing Mr. P.’s passion for quality and comfort with even more people.

Mr. Perkins wasn’t just about building a business. He built a community. He built opportunities. He built a legacy of integrity, ingenuity, and good humor. He built a family company where people mattered.
And above all, he built hammocks—darn good ones—and then worked tirelessly to make the next one even better still.

To Mr. Perkins’ family, friends, colleagues, and the countless customers whose lives have been touched by the simple joy of a Hammock: we extend our deepest condolences.

We’ll miss you, Mr. P. But we’ll keep moving, keep making, and keep improving—just like you taught us.