The Best Men’s Flannels of 2026

RedHead is Bass Pro Shop’s house brand, available at both Cabela’s and Bass Pro Shops. They have a variety of flannel options for buyers. But the shirt that immediately caught our eye is the fat-in-the-hand Brawny Flannel. Not only for its easy-on-the-wallet pricing (a few pennies under $30), but also for its soft, plush, durable fabric.

The 275-ish gsm cotton flannel is stout and warm. There’s room to layer it over a base or lightweight shirt. Alone over a t-shirt, the fit is generous, but it’s not obnoxious. The curved hem tucks under the belt without feeling bulky.

A few corners were cut to make it a bargain. A locker loop should be sewn into a shirt this robust. And matching the cuffs with a mitered edge would play well with the pocket design. Pleats in the yoke would release the shoulders a bit. The armholes are over-sewn and stitched flat. And they aren’t the cleanest seams we’ve seen on the inside of a shirt. But they are crisp where it matters (on the outside), with the load-bearing seams flat-felled and double-stitched for durability. An extra layer of flannel is sewn into the yoke for durability and structure.

Yet, the two chest pockets are sewn pattern-matched with a mitered pocket flap that buttons down — attention to detail we wouldn’t expect in a shirt this well priced.

If pennies are tight but you need a warm, durable cotton flannel, it would be hard to find a better value.

There is something magical about the purity of simple design with a hyper-focus on building one thing to the best of your ability.

While a new kid in the flannel space, MuskOx is dedicated to brushed twill. It’s all they do, and they approach it with timeless design, striking the fragile balance between good value and impeccable craftsmanship. The brand’s Field Grand Flannel ($154) embodies the best of what we seek in a flannel and has been a top choice of ours in the past.

For the last two years, we’ve listed MuskOx’s Grand Flannel as our top or near-top flannel pick. The cotton weave is looser and punches up at nearly 9 ounces per square yard. It’s undeniably a heavyweight flannel.

The Field Grand uses a slightly lighter fabric (8.2-ounce cotton). It is woven with a denser weave, giving the flannel a little more rigidity and durability, unlocking a little more wearability into the side seasons.

Just because it is more durable doesn’t mean it sacrifices softness. On the contrary, the double-brushed cotton flannel is one of the softest flannels we’ve ever reviewed. Maintaining that softness is fairly low fuss: Wash on cold, dry flat.

Hand-cut and sewn in Portugal, every lot of fabric is custom-made for MuskOx. That means you won’t see color patterns used by another brand. This brings a bit of a cult following to the MuskOx herd. Buyers become collectors and, in a way, investors in the brand.

At $154, it creeps into your wardrobe budget. Fortunately, the timeless design, durability, and overall quality of the Field Grand ensure you are buying a flannel that will last you for years.

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.

Less than a jacket, more than a flannel, the shaket or shirt-jac insulates the gap between summer and winter. Our favorite flannel in the overshirt space is the relatively new ‘regenerated’ wool-blend mid-layer from Beringia.

A tailored over shirt with an athletic fit, the Farallon Wool Shirt ($300) wears slightly roomy with just enough room to layer underneath. The 21-ounce recycled wool is plush and soft—it’s one of the coziest wool shirts we’ve snuggled into. But that doesn’t imply it’s not durable. Woven with polyester, acrylic, and nylon, the blend is equally tough. Nylon-backed cuffs and elbow patches fortify the traditional weak spots in a shirt.

The front placket closes with 5 button snaps and a single button at the collar. Cuffs close with a single snap and a button. We love the snaps, but feel the button – especially the collar button – is disproportionately small. It’s tough to push it through the heavy fabric.

Three pockets adorn the shirt. A stealth wallet pocket zips smaller items on the right chest. A larger diagonal zipper pocket can swallow a pair of glasses on the left. And a single hand pocket sits on the left side. You read that right. One hand pocket. The story goes the Japanese designers were inspired by Jack Nicholson in Easy Rider. Hand in the pocket. Thumb in the air, “Americans need a hitchhiking pocket to keep the hand warm.” Not entirely practical, it became part of the back story of the Farallon, and we don’t expect it to change.

Attention to detail elevates the Farallon over the rest. The side seam ends with a gusset to reinforce the seam. All buttons are wrapped around the shank to prevent them from unstitching. The arms are full flat felled to the armholes. And our favorite addition is the mesh pleats behind the shoulders. It elevates the shirt from everyday wear to a performance garment that dumps heat when hiking or cycling.

Wool is a tricky fiber, and not everyone can mill it well. It requires regulated temperature and humidity. And then there’s the sheep. Sheep love dry, warm environments with terrain to graze. Think Australia, New Zealand, and Idaho. Not Japan. It’s too steep, wooded, and wet. Japan simply can’t store the inventory to produce large batches of wool fabric without risking spoiling. Japan may not be first to market, but they can take an idea and make it better.

Bishu, Japan, has been doing this for over a century and has the small-batch wool process dialed. And that’s where Beringia’s wool is sourced and manufactured into the lofty Farallon shirt. The fibers are high-quality, the colorways are unique, and the lot sizes are small. Only 250 yards of fabric are produced per run.

The fastidious attention to detail is reflected in the price. The Farallon lists for $300, and the shirts are quick to sell out. It took us over a year to get our hands on one. But, like all good things, it’s worth the wait (and the cash). The shirt wears casually with swagger, but can step up to the task of cycling, skiing, or even be worn as a mid-layer under a shell while mountaineering. Finally, you can style up and replace that old midlayer jacket.

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.

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 ($300). 

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.

Easy on the wallet, Duluth’s Free Swinging Flannel ($55) is also one of the best-fitting flannels on the list. This mid-weight shirt has gussets under the arms and pleats behind the shoulders, giving it fantastic mobility. There’s zero binding or pulling when reaching, lifting, raking — and yes, swingin’ tools.

The 100% cotton shirt comes prewashed and has a slight texture to it. It’s a work shirt, so we expect this kind of “rough around the edges” as a compromise for added durability. The cotton is brushed to give it a softer touch, but it’s never going to be velvety soft. And that’s unabashedly in Duluth’s DNA.

Duluth doesn’t skimp on construction, either. A true work shirt, the overlocked seams are sewn down with double stitching. While the pockets are pattern matched to the front of the shirt, the front and back patterns are not at the side. While not as refined as Devium’s craftsmanship, it’s plenty durable for a shirt at this price.

The Free Swingin’ Flannel will typically run you around $55, which in itself is a reasonable price for a hardy work shirt you can put some miles on. But it’s regularly on sale for less, making it an indisputable bargain.

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.

The Royal Robins Lost Coast Flannel ($100) is a lightweight take on a classic work shirt.

Made from a nearly 50/50 nylon-poly blend, the shirt’s durable fabric is brushed into a soft nap. An anti-microbial is applied to the fabric to reduce funky odors from setting in. Which is a good thing if you plan to wear the shirt while hiking. While nylon is durable (think climbing ropes), polyester gives the material its softness. But it’s also known for trapping odors. The antimicrobial reduces the chances of that happening.

The shirt is constructed from an airy sub-150-ish g/m² fabric, which is on par with what you might find in an office shirt. The material resists wrinkles and is easy to throw on. But we feel it’s best suited for outdoor wear in the shoulder seasons.

In addition to the antimicrobial wash and synthetic blend, the fit is oversized, which layers well and allows good airflow and generally gives you more freedom in the shoulders and arms. A pair of pleats tuck into the yoke to yield a bit of extra room. Plus, the shirt sports sun protection equivalent to 50+.

Style-wise, the shirt is an interpretation of the work shirt. Mitered cuffs match the mitered pocket flap corners. A pair of locker loops are stitched to the shirt. One inside the collar, another out back under the yoke. The pockets appear to be pleated, but that’s purely aesthetics. They don’t provide extra room in the pockets. Pulling it all together, the entire shirt uses double needle stitching to lock the seams in place.

The Lost Coast is an interesting blend of work-inspired and durable fabrics that are up for the task. But it’s low nap, lightweight fabric gives office vibes. In one way, it’s at odds with itself, not truly finding its path of purpose. But we feel in general, it’s a good casual flannel with a bias for playing outside on the warmer side of shoulder season.

Inspired (perhaps heavily) by OuterKnown’s Cloud Weave shirt, a similar cut we’ve reviewed in the past, we appreciate how Flint and Tinder upped the volume and lowered the price of its own interpretation of a heavyweight, loose-knit flannel, through its Cabin Flannel ($178).

OK’s Cloud Weave is no longer available. Probably for the same dings we noted. While heavy weight, it had a tailored fit, if not downright snug. And at $200, it was expensive. The Cabin has more volume that feels more appropriate for the nearly 500 g/m² fabric. It wears best as an over shirt. Like we want it to (it just doesn’t feel right to wear a 2 lb. shirt by itself). This is particularly good for Flint and Tinder. Most of the shirts we see from Flint and Tinder, while beautiful, are tailored out of the box, but unfortunately tend to shrink. Even after washing on cold and drying flat.

Bold 60/40, cotton/poly yarns are loosely woven into a bold herringbone pattern. The yarns are soft and the shirt is heavy. The individual yarns are clearly visible, giving the shirt a unique look, but it shouldn’t be worn for hard-wearing tasks. The yarns will catch on corners easier than any other shirt on the list.

The construction is straightforward. No gussets, no pleats. The oversized cut permits it. The loose weave yields some stretch. A pair of drop-in pockets sits on the chest and pattern matches the chest material pattern. Cotton patches are sewn into the collar, yoke, and inside the cuffs, giving the shirt structural integrity in the high-wear spots.

While the side and shoulders are flat felled, the armholes are over sewn and stitched flat. And that’s a decision Flint and Tinder had to make to reduce the overall bulk of this heavy hitter.

But the payoff is in the looks. The shirt is a head-turner and makes a statement. We wouldn’t recommend this as your first flannel. It’s very niche. But it’s a great choice for those who’ve wandered well into flannel forest and are looking to broaden their collection.

Portland-based Pendleton has been milling flannel shirts since the end of the Civil War. That’s logging a lot of history. And while you don’t have to go that far back to appreciate Pendleton’s Board Shirt ($198-219), this flannel has earned the stripes to become a classic. Fortunately for us, Pendleton has stayed true to their origins with this ’60s surf-shirt.

A true mid-weight shirt, the 178 g/m² wears light and breezy. The draping, construction, and details are appropriately matched to the fabric weight. Constructed on the square, the shirt follows the plumb line off the shoulders to the straight hem. Six oversized buttons close the front of the shirt, with the collar button hooking under a loop of cord. A generous four-inch placket folds behind both the button and button holes.

Other than the buttons and the button holes, it’s not conspicuously sewn down. The extra material gives the shirt a structural backbone down the front. A cotton liner is sewn into the yoke behind the shoulders to reinforce the back of the shirt

Both front pockets and the cuff edges are cut on the bias. The curved edges add to the casual vibe and prevent material from catching on edges. Both rounded chest pockets are stitched diagonally to the shirt with a flap-only closure (no buttons here). The adjustable barrel cuffs taper with pleats around the wrist and close with a pair of buttons that allow you to snug the shirt tight.

Construction-wise, the side seams are fully flat-felled, while the arms are over-sewn and stitched flat. On the outside, the stitching is impeccably clean. We’ve never seen a stray stitch on anything from Pendleton.

Embracing tradition, the collar leaves are broad, and the top-most button under the collar is better worn unbuttoned — giving the winged lapels a camp-shirt vibe. After all, it’s the original camp shirt.

Inflation and updated pattern lots aside, the Board Shirt is pretty much the same shirt your grandparents could have bought. And that’s why we love this shirt. It’s unabashedly original and is a must-have for flannel-heads who collect brushed twill.

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 $70, some shortcuts should be expected to keep the price in check. The arm hole seams are over-stitched and sewn flat, with fully flat-felled seams sewn down the side. The sides are not pattern matched at the seam, but the mitered pocket patterns are now pattern aligned.

Instead of ramping up ‘nice to have’ elements, they keep their focus on value. Like building a shirt around high-quality organic cotton and reinforcing 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 ensures durability, while preventing 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. 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 left-over change.

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.