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Tee shirts have been called the number one impulse item in an army/navy store and casual headwear is not far behind. 

But, as fewer customers go out on shopping trips, these categories have taken a hit, as well. Business has been slower, observes Sinbad Elhaddad of American Cap Exchange.

“It isn’t like it used to be. We spend longer hours to get the same results,” he said.

The 20-year old wholesaler specializes in ball caps for law enforcement and military.

Hats that sell under $25 and are among the most affordable items in army/navy stores, Elhaddad said.

Hats are both a novelty and a utilitarian item and one that is worn 12 months of the year.

For Broner (Auburn Hills, Michigan), fedoras with small brims are a top seller year round.

“They look like they came out of grandfather’s closet,” said Bob Broner, company president. The fedoras are available in wool for the winter and in braided straw and cotton for the summer.

Although fashionable, the fedora offers little protection from the sun. A good summer sun hat needs a brim at least 2 ½ inches. Broner sells wide brim hats made from a fabric with a UPF rating. The UPF is equivalent to the SPF in sunscreens.

Flat top SWAT caps in a variety of colors are replacing baseball caps as casual street wear, said Bob Broner who also sells more beanies in the winter than watch caps. The main difference between the two is the absence of a cuff on the beanie, enabling it to be pulled down over the head like a skull cap.

“The headwear business is good,” he said, observing that small and medium size retailers do better in this category than larger stores. “The smaller stores put in more time and effort. They make a stronger commitment to headwear.”

Founded in 1985, Capsmith of Sanford, Florida began by wholesaling foam front caps for truckers but has since expanded into selling a variety of hat styles, including its own patented designs.

An example is the Chop Top, on which the patent is pending. The hat the appearance of a fold over bandanna but has a terrycloth sweatband and a Velcro closure slide tuck.

The patented Pop-a-Top is a novelty baseball cap with a bottle opener built into the visor. The trademarked Rap-a-Cap can be worn in 12 different ways and comes in 24 different designs.

“It is a seamless tube that stretches and wicks away moisture to keep the wearer dry and the face free from wind and dust, depending on how it is worn,” said company spokesperson Sara Baxter.