The cables follow a shallow downward catenary arc which moves in response to dynamic loads on the bridge deck.

Simple suspension bridges are considered the most efficient and sustainable design in rural regions, especially for river crossings that lie in non-floodplain topography such as gorges.

On a simple suspension bridge, the main cables (or chains) follow a hyperbolic curve, the catenary.

In contrast, on a suspended deck bridge (whether "simple" or not) the main cables follow a parabolic curve.

[7] The earliest reference to suspension bridges appear in Han dynasty records on the travels of Chinese diplomatic missions to the countries on the western and southern fringe of the Himalaya, namely the Hindukush range in Afghanistan, and the lands of Gandhara and Gilgit.

[8] These were simple suspension bridges of three or more cables made from vines, where people walked directly on the ropes to cross.

Several are attributed to Tibetan monk Thang Tong Gyalpo, who reportedly built several in Tibet and Bhutan in the 15th century, including Chushul Chakzam and one at Chuka.

In the northeast Indian state of Meghalaya, Khasi and Jaintia[10] tribal people have created living root bridges, which are a form of tree shaping.

Here, simple suspension bridges are made by training the roots of the Ficus elastica species of banyan tree across watercourses.

To build such a bridge, these vines were planted on opposite sides of a river and woven together when they grew long enough to span the gap.

This style is used by mountaineers and is employed extensively in New Zealand on lesser backcountry walking tracks where examples are referred to as 'three wire bridges'.

In some cases, such as the Capilano Suspension Bridge, the primary supports form the handrails with the deck suspended below them.

[18] Solutions to these problems led to a wide variety of methods of stiffening the deck,[18][19] resulting in several other types of suspension bridge.

The bridge may be stiffened by the addition of cables that do not bear the primary structural or live loads and so may be relatively light.

A more developed version of the pont himalayen, provided with a deck between a pair of main cables, is known as a passerelle himalayenne (French, "Himalayan footbridge").