The Best Men’s Flannels of 2025

We didn’t have high expectations for a bargain flannel, but the details on the Buck Camp blew our minds. Fit, construction, and materials — it’s tough to beat the $35 Legendary Whitetails Buck Camp Flannel.

The 5-ounce cotton flannel is double pleated in the back for extra mobility. All seams are sewn flat and fell stitched, and even the pocket pattern aligns with the shirt pattern. These little details add up in price and are usually found in shirts twice the price.

There’s outsized value in the pattern options here, as well — something we don’t typically get hung up on, but 45 different options are certainly above and beyond the typical three or so you might choose from with a more expensive cut. With classic plaids and heathered monochrome, luck is on your side in finding one (or two) that’ll fit your style.

The collar and cuffs are backed in corduroy, giving it a little rugged flair. Our ding on the otherwise fantastic shirt is that we found the collar can get a little limp — something we see on all lighter-weight cotton flannels. You can probably iron it to fix this otherwise minor flaw.

If you’re in need of a little warmer flannel, the equally value-oriented Jetty Breaker Flannel ($70) makes use of a 220 g/m² organic cotton weave, which should get you deeper into the shoulder seasons. The Buck Camp Flannel is certainly the more work-oriented of the two, however.

Wear it alone in the shoulder seasons, or layer it for winter, the Buck Camp Flannel gives you the best bang for the … um … buck. Get ’em before they realize they’ve underpriced the shirt.

How do you make one of the best flannels available even better? Release it in wool, of course. We are big fans of Pladra and have ranked them at the top or near the top for five seasons now. This year, the brand took one of our previous top picks and finally took the plunge into wool.

The Workhorse Wool Flannel ($200) is a fantastic shirt by nearly every standard. Like all Pladra shirts, the seams are flat-felled, the button thread stems are wrapped at the shank for durability, the entire shirt is pattern-matched across the pockets and panels, and you get a splash of fun woodland print scenes inside the yoke and cuffs.

What elevates this shirt in quality (and price) is the wool fabric. Spun from a mix of 70% wool, 20% polyester, and 10% viscose (for softness), it feels soft, wears warm, and boasts all the great qualities of wool. It repels water and stench, has supreme temperature regulation, and is more durable than cotton. The Workhorse in wool is a timeless, heirloom-quality shirt.

Admittedly, $200 is a significant chunk of coin to drop on a shirt and is ultimately what keeps this shirt from being our top choice. If the wool Workhorse is out of budget, you can get the same style and details in Pladra’s traditional cotton Workhorse, available for $120. 

But if you are looking to elevate your flannel wardrobe, the Workhorse Wool is a keeper.

The Normal Brand Brightside Flannel ($188) breaks many of our flannel metrics, but it’s so good we wanted to add it to our list this year. 

First, it’s not really a shirt. With two hand pockets and four chest pockets, it’s marching deep into jacket territory. The heavy boiled felted wool outer blocks wind and sheds a light rain, while a lightweight flannel lines the torso. The sleeves are appropriately lined with polyester, allowing it to slide easily over a light sweater or flannel.

The team at Normal Brand paid great attention to the design of this jacket. The heavy felted wool is sewn together with a “bias-bound seam.” The raw edges of the butterflied wool seams are encased in the flannel lining, which looks sharp and prevents the otherwise exposed seam fabric from fraying.

A simple drop-in style device pocket sits inside the left chest. On the outside, two flap pockets are patched to the chest, with a second drop-in stealth pocket sitting over the left chest pocket. It’s just big enough to slot a hotel key. We did find that when buttoned shut, it’s hard to access this tertiary pocket. Two polyester-lined hand pockets sit on the side.

The cuffs close with two button options, allowing you to open them up for a relaxed look, or batten down when it gets cold. A wool tab gives you a few extra centimeters to fit the jacket over a glove.

Not a shirt, not a jacket … not really a shacket or jac-shirt — the Brightside Flannel wool overshirt draws compliments like bees to honey and hits that sweet spot we’ve been looking for between flannels and jackets.

The Faherty Legendary Sweater Shirt ($178) is for the guy who swore he’d never wear a flannel. A Turkish blend of three yarns is pushed through the loom and woven into a smooth-faced inside with a plush, brushed outer fabric. The shirt snugs against the skin, like a loose base layer that feels oh-so-soft to the touch. 

Fitting more like a cardigan sweater, the shirt drapes with a tailored fit that moves with the body. Wear it alone in fall and spring, or layer it under a jacket in cooler temperatures, the Legend is a solid three-season choice. And given that it is synthetic, it’s up for some aerobic activities. 

The Legend isn’t cheap. At $180 it can be a challenging woven shirt to buy into. But it’s an easy shirt to grab on your way out the door. The look and softness will draw compliments and invite strangers to walk up and pet your shirt. 

Like 501s to Levi’s, the Legend is a staple at Faherty. With 27 color patterns to choose from, there’s something for everyone. If you want something similar in plushness but are looking for a more traditional flannel, we recommend the Classic Flannel from The Vermont Flannel Co.  

Classic. The word gets thrown around a lot, along the way, shedding some of its oomph. But it’s entirely warranted for The Vermont Flannel Co. Classic Flannel Shirt ($88), the brand’s flagship brushed twill. 

This is a mid-to-heavy-weight flannel shirt constructed from high-quality cotton sourced from Portugal. The custom-made cotton fabric is then shipped to the States, where it is hand-cut and sewn together in the U.S. The result is a creamy, soft flannel that shoulders easily after hours from fall through winter.

A pair of pockets with rounded corners is sewn to the chest and closed with a button. The cuffs have gauntlet-style buttons, and a pair of buttons at the cuff allow you to loosen them around the wrist. This gives you just enough room to slide a fat sports watch underneath. 

Both the cuff and pocket are cut on the square. In our experience, right-angled edges can catch on surfaces and tend to show wear and rope a little earlier than mitered or rounded cuffs. The shirt closes in front with fat buttons that pull through snug holes. It’s not fiddly, and it stays secure. 

While by no means universal, fully flat-felled seams are becoming the norm in many flannel shirts. We often see it used by big companies with access to large factories that have the tools to do it right. While it’s easy to jump to the conclusion that a shirt without fully flat-felled seams are of lesser quality, that’s simply not the case here. 

A good flannel is the execution of three simple principles. Quality fabric (check), a good cut (check) and the stitching that holds the shirt together.

Good stitching is dependent on the material it connects and the factories that complete the seams. The Vermont Flannel Co. uses long-staple, yard-dyed 100% GOTS-certified Portuguese cotton. All seams are sewn in the U.S. using overstitched and left exposed on the inside. While the flannel skips some of the details found in our top 5, they are able to keep prices down without affecting the quality.

VFC has been stitching its slightly oversized Classic Flannel for over 20 years now. Offered in 10 classic plaids (and a solid gray), the Classic Flannel is an easy shirt to throw on in winter. Plus, at under $90 a shirt, it’s a stellar value.

Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone universe has reintroduced millions to the joys of the snap shirt. For the western-curious, the Stio Slipstone ($115) closes with crisp pearl snaps and dialed-back western-style pocket flaps. It’s ‘ranch-light,’ making it more approachable for wearing around town without requiring a Stetson.

Constructed from organic cotton, the gently brushed flannel feels like a napped lightweight canvas. It’s durable and more rigid than a traditional flannel. It’s also not as lofty or fluffy, but that’s okay with us. The loft meets the design where it’s at and embraces the workwear aesthetic.

All seams are solid, with the sides flat-felled, adding durability to the western vibe. The arms are overlocked and double stitched, ensuring a long life for the shirt. 

The most interesting seam, though, is in the pocket. Instead of patching the pair of chest pockets to the outside of the shirt, Stio cut a hole in the front panel and reverse-patched the pockets to the inside. This intriguing set-in design prevents pockets from catching and tearing off. Have we ever had that happen? No. But now we don’t have to worry about it either.

The mixed bag is perhaps in the fit. The reviews are all over the map, and we found the shirt has a bias for athletic body types. We felt some binding under the arms and around the back. This is a common thread in Stio’s flannels. They all feel just a little snug.

The material in the Slipstone is also a bit less forgiving than their other flannels, so its more pronounced in this shirt. It’s a good shirt to try on first. Good news, though. Stio has opened a few brick-and-mortar shops. If you can’t make it into one of the stores, they have a good return policy.

Looking for an organic cotton flannel for everyday casual wear? But you don’t want to break the bank? We recommend Jetty’s Breaker Flannel ($70). Over the past few years, we have seen a lot of flannels from Jetty. Across the board, they offer great value in a flannel. They do this by keeping the focus on quality materials, like organic cotton, and avoiding extra accessories and overbuilding the shirt.

At just a nickel under $70, some shortcuts should be expected to keep the price in check. The armhole seams are overstitched and sewn flat, with fully flat-felled seams sewn down the side. The mitered pocket patterns are sewn on at 45 degrees. And the sides are not pattern matched at the side seam.

Instead of ramping up ‘nice to have’ elements, they keep their focus on value. For example, they build a shirt around high-quality organic cotton and reinforce the gussets at the hem with bar-tacked stitches. The collar is backed with a nylon strip (a feature seen in our favorite flannels like the Pladra Every Day Elite), and they’ve sewn a small locker loop into the neck. These are conscious compromises that offer quality and ensure durability while keeping the price from creeping up.

Made from roughly 250 g/m² organic cotton fabric, the low-nap twill is durable but has minimal give. No pleats. No under-the-arm gussets, the cut wears fitted. And it doesn’t have the mobility you would want for those reachy chores. We threw ours over another shirt and wore it to work and Friday night beers. Which is really what the silhouette and materials are designed around.

The Jetty Breaker Flannel is a casual cut for those work-adjacent hours. And at $70, you have leftover change to spend, though if you’re really hard-pressed, you can even slide into two $35 Legendary Whitetails Buck Camp Flannels for the same price.

Mammut is primarily known in Europe for its alpine focus. The brand has a few around-town options for daily drivers. We like the Trovat Long Sleeve ($100) for its under-the-radar aesthetics and wrinkle resistance.

The slim silhouette layers well under an overshirt or sweater, and the muted plaids in grays, blues, browns, and greens slide seamlessly from work to weekend without skipping a beat. The single drop-in pocket sewn on the left chest panel has your back at the office with a touch of class. While the cuffs are closed with two button options, the cuffs favor a slimmer, formal watch over our Garmin.

Made from 100% organic cotton, we liked how it bounced back from washing nearly wrinkle-free. Not too long or too short, the rounded hem stays tucked into your pants or lays fashionably over pants untucked.

At 190 g/m², it’s one of the lighter flannels on this season’s list. With that in mind, while soft, the Trovat isn’t plush. The thin nap drapes well and is durable, making it a good choice for work at the office or in the shop. 

True to many European brands, the Trovat has an athletic fit and feels like a fitted shirt. If you like your shirts with room, we’d recommend sizing up.

You climb long enough, and you eventually get to the top. So here we are with what is for many the high-water mark of flannel, the Freenote Cloth Benson Overshirt ($325). 

The Benson is great for many reasons. To start, it’s made from a very heavy, 11-ounce brushed flannel manufactured in Japan. The shirt closes with real horn buttons imported from Italy. The components are shipped to the States, where the materials are hand-cut and sewn in California, and hemmed with double needle stitching that yields a pair of perfectly stitched seams. Technically speaking, it’s made from the good stuff.

The horn buttons close the shirt with a simple French-style placket. The front material folds under for durability, but reveals a clean, no-seam (sans placket) front. All major seams are fully flat-felled, which is sort of a feat in a shirt of this weight. The cuffs and pocket flaps are rounded for durability and longevity.

The flannel feels fat in the hand. It has some heft and is more rigid than soft. Cut slightly oversized, it wears well as an overshirt, but you can still throw it over a t-shirt. You will finally be the most popular kid at high school, even though you are only there to pick up your child. Died-in-the-cotton flannel heads will take note, and pull their hand out of their selvedge denim to salute you with approval.

Yes, it is that good, and yes, we love this flannel. However, it is also about two times the price of most flannels on our list. So the real question becomes, is the Benson worth it? 

Value is a hard metric to pin down, and it has several factors that weigh in the calculus. Primarily, can you afford it? Components are meticulously curated by hand from around the world and put together here in America. If you appreciate art, if you appreciate quality, if you appreciate the meaning of brand and story, design and craftsmanship… then this is the flannel for you. If you want a pretty great flannel at half the cost, we have several practical options for you above.

Tracksmith is to running what Rapha is to cycling. Both are top-notch, well-marketed brands that make you want to do the sport (even if you hate running).

While Tracksmith dedicates most of its threads to the road, it does have a few lifestyle items. The New England Flannel ($180) strikes the balance between Ivy League extracurriculars and weekend thrifting.

Of all the shirts we’ve shouldered this year, the New England has probably seen the most test time. Simply because it’s an easy shirt to wear and we really like the color. The 100% organic cotton breathes well and is just warm enough to cut a mild chill. The two chest pockets can hold a wallet or a pair of keys. And two stealth hand pockets hide away at the side seam, but are deep enough to bury your cold candy grabbers. By design, the two hand pockets also give you two inside pockets. Though we wouldn’t recommend stuffing them with too much.

And while we don’t usually judge on color, this shirt forces the decision. Tracksmith only offers the New England in one colorway: Amber plaid. And we love it. It imbues fall with its dark brown mixed with ivory on a field of harvest squash. But we also appreciate that it could be a turnoff.

For all this good stuff, it still has its quirks. Most notably, the buttons. They are small and thin, and painted with a color-matched flat paint. The paint adds grip, but it has also started to wear off on our shirt. And the small, thin size makes them harder to manipulate. Lastly, the chest pocket buttons tuck inside the chest pocket flap. We usually give up before getting them buttoned shut. We’d recommend Tracksmith simply remove the chest pocket buttons altogether or use drop-in pockets instead.

The New England Flannel is another expensive shirt that can challenge the average consumer. This shirt feels vintage out of the box. In a way, it reminds us of an old Land Rover. Sometimes we scratch our heads over the design quirks, but boy, does it look good.

We typically don’t look to the half-dome for a good flannel, but we were pleasantly surprised with the attention to detail seen in The North Face’s Arroyo Flannel ($90).

When a company does so many things well at the sharp end of the rope, we get a little itchy when we see them tackle more everyday problems. Can cutting-edge advances in GORE and down fill trickle down to the simple things like flannels? Yes. Yes, it can.

The volume of products developed at TNF gives teams access to quality materials and top factories that have robust production capabilities. The Arroyo exemplifies this. 

Seams are fully flat-felled or overstitched in the armholes (which we would expect in a heavyweight shirt). The cotton is organic, with the cuff and pocket flap edges rounded for longevity. Gussets are sewn into the bottom of the side seams to prevent ripping at the seam. A single pleat sits below the nape of the neck, yielding some extra mobility.

The shirt fits slightly boxy (not tailored) and hits all the marks. We liked that the color options are bold and progressive. This is a great casual flannel shirt with very little to fuss over.

LIVSN has long been one of our favorite pant manufacturers. Naturally, we were excited to see how they tackled the world of flannel. After a year of flirting with the release, this past fall the brand finally unveiled its Benchmark Flannel ($199). It’s a solid all-rounder, suitable for the work-hard/play-hard lifestyle we practice.

Excelling in functional design, LIVSN marries advanced materials with thoughtful features. The fabric is a blend of Seawool (recycled polyester and oyster shells) and cotton. Punching in at 264 g/m², the yarns are plump and woven tightly. Unbrushed, the smooth face deflects sharp edges and doesn’t collect debris.

The shirt drops straight and kisses the arms as they taper to the cuffs. Form-fitting, instead of adding pleats’ mobility, LIVSN sews a gusset under the arms with eye holes. It adds some mobility, but we found it feels more restrictive than shirts with pleats. Our fit binds a bit under the arms and across the back.

Without the lofty nap, the Benchmark strays from traditional flannel. But LIVSN isn’t one to follow the herd. Like their pants, the flannel has pockets aplenty. In addition to the two patched chest pockets, a third mesh-lined zipper pocket hides under the left chest, and a fourth stealthy zipper pocket hides on the right side seam, which is large enough to hold your phone.

At $200, the Benchmark is expensive. But you can get last year’s lot on sale now for $120.

Fjällräven is a perennial GearJunkie favorite. Its lineup is small, but what the brand sets hands on is executed very well. The Övik Heavy Flannel ($110) falls in line.

The shirt is PFAS-free and constructed from 100% organic cotton. Every major seam is fully flat-felled. A pair of pleats drops off the back of the shoulders, unlocking the shoulders when you need to reach. The back of the shirt is finished with a stout locker loop below the collar. They mind the details — the ones that matter most.

Out front, a pair of patched pocket patterns match the front panels. The left pocket has a handy pencil slot. The shirt closes with six small buttons. Fjällräven could scale up the buttons to match the flannel weight, but they close fuss-free.

With a slightly relaxed fit, this shirt exudes cabin life. The 5 muted earth tone color patterns are timeless and will never go out of style.

Fjällräven has another, similar flannel on the market, the Singi Heavy. The differences are slight. It’s a touch denser cotton (257 g/m²), the collar is nylon-backed, and some old-timey safari tabs pin back rolled-up sleeves.

At $110, the Övik is a solid choice from a bigger outdoor brand. If you haven’t tried the red fox, we highly recommend giving Fjällräven a deeper look. Their garments have a fantastic fit, and their design ethos is well thought out with outdoor functionality in mind.

No-fuss, no bull, Devium lightly brushes its 220 g/m² cotton twill into a low suede-like nap, giving the Boca Flannel Shirt ($158) a tougher, more durable finish.

The shirt is patched with a pair of diagonal pockets that close with a buttoned flap. The flaps are notched at 45 degrees to reduce catching. Ideally, we’d love to see Devium take that approach on the cuffs, too, which are cut and finished on the square.

Dime-sized cat-eye buttons close the shirt are easy to use and recess at the thread holes, protecting the thread from abrasion.

Softer than Duluth’s Free Swinging and better fitting than Patagonia’s Farrier shirt (last year’s choice for best work flannel), the Boca is a capable flannel that fills the gap between form, function, and comfort. They don’t put money into marketing; the brand puts it into materials and construction. This flannel isn’t quite as hard-working as the MuskOx Grand Flannel, but damn close.

Devium holds itself to the venerable Berry-Compliant standard, which is a requirement to sell to the DoD. To be clear, Devium isn’t truly Berry-Certified (and the SeaBees aren’t swinging iron in Boca flannels). That certification would be on file with the suppliers and require a DoD contract.

Yet, Devium takes to heart what it means to sew that American flag onto every shirt. The 220 g/m² cotton is sourced and milled in Missouri and sent to SoCal for finishing. The horn buttons are custom-made at a factory in Pennsylvania.

From cut to finish, down to the last stitch of nylon thread, the entire Boca Flannel Shirt is made in the USA. Resisting the urge to take a shortcut and to do things truly right … well, that’s an admirable mission statement we can get behind with enthusiasm. The price typically keeps us from recommending it right off the bat, but if the story resonates, it’s an easy go-to.

Lightly brushed 100% cotton, the Filson Alaskan Guide Shirt ($145) is a frequent flier on our top flannel guide. It shines as a reliable work shirt for the shop or worn around town, and is a great choice for a weekend chore shirt.

The 8-ounce cotton is densely woven, helping deflect wind and sharps. A locker hook is tacked at the nape of the neck just over the single center pleat. The pleat gives you a little extra room in the shoulders to swing an axe or reach those holiday boxes tucked away on the top shelf. 

We appreciate that the cuffs and pocket flaps are rounded to reduce catching on edges. Both chest pockets have center pleats, allowing you to store a little extra. While the cuffs have two buttons to provide extra room (or batten down), we would like to see a little more room given to the outside button. The cuffs snug tightly around the wrist and don’t leave a lot of room for a watch.

The shirt is sewn together through flat-felled seams in the arms and body and overstitched seams in the armholes. This stitch combination is usually reserved for sewing heavyweight fabrics together and is more often seen in lower-priced shirts. The 8-ounce fabric is densely woven and lightly brushed, and it could probably get away with fully felling the sleeves to the torso. At nearly $150, this ends up feeling more like a shortcut in the Alaskan Guide than a functional decision.

Similarly work-oriented, the MuskOx Grand Flannel is more often our recommendation for a heavyweight flannel for work. The Egyptian cotton is of higher quality compared to the Filson, and the flat-felled seams are more durable and of higher quality.

Filson shirts are known to be oversized by one full size. We always order down one size smaller, and the fit feels spot on. The fit is still loose enough to layer over a midweight base layer without feeling constrictive. Because of this size disconnect, we recommend trying the Alaskan Guide Shirt on before you buy it.