We wore these flannel shirts to the beach, the bar, and everywhere in between. Photo: Dylan Heyden/The Inertia
A cozy flannel shirt is more of an idea than a physical piece of clothing. It’s the comfort you reach for to shield you when there’s a slight bite in the air. When coziness is a primary consideration. A shirt for beer-drinking around the campfire. The Labrador Retriever of garments, if you will — classic and reliable. Treat them right, and flannel shirts will be your best friend forever.
It’s no wonder that from late October until May, flannel shirts have become a veritable uniform in coastal Southern California. But classic flannel shirts are versatile tools. They can be functional layers or stand-alone pieces. Take them from the beach to the bar, and anywhere in between — flannels are undeniable staples anywhere temperatures dip below 60 degrees.
You can still find brands remaining true to classically constructed flannels (think 100 percent cotton rendered in plaid). But a number of companies have taken the comfort-forward flannel we all love and raised it to new heights. This is great because there’s never been more variety. But it also makes the market a bit crowded and hard to sort through.
In that spirit, we recently got our hands on a handful of the best men’s flannel shirts. We wore them everywhere, then really got into the weeds to determine what the best flannel shirts bring to the table.
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The Best Flannel Shirts of 2024
Best All Around Flannel Shirt: MuskOx Grand Flannel
Best Midweight Flannel Shirt: Patagonia Midweight Fjord Flannel
Most Stylish Flannel Shirt: Outerknown Blanket Shirt
Best Flannel Shirt Jacket: Fjallraven Canada Shirt
Best Fleece Flannel: Vissla ECO-zy LS Polar Flannel
Best Tech Flannel: Flylow Handlebar Tech Flannel
Best All Around Flannel Shirt
MuskOx Grand Flannel ($134)
Pros: Excellent cut and fit, ideal weight
Cons: Somewhat stiff, can hold weird wrinkles
Weight: Heavyweight
Sizing recommendation: Size up
Material: 100 percent cotton
When a company specializes in producing flannel shirts, you expect big things. And we’re pleased to report that MuskOx flannels live up to the hype.
For the uninitiated, MuskOx is a Detroit-based company. Apart from a few hats and tees, it focuses exclusively on the production of high-quality flannel shirts. MuskOx’s Grand Flannel is the brand’s flagship heavyweight shirt, but it also offers lighter-weight flannels, denser weave flannels, and softer weave flannels.
We found the Grand Flannel to be the realization of what a classic 100 percent cotton flannel can and should be. It’s super soft on both sides and sports a roomy fit without being overly baggy. Even better, and has sufficient heft to fend off a ripping evening onshore breeze. We were also super impressed with the durable construction that saw no snagging or pilling.
Check Price on MuskOxBest Midweight Flannel Shirt
Patagonia Midweight Fjord Flannel ($119)
Pros: Super soft, lightweight, countless colors and patterns
Cons: Silhouette is a bit long
Weight: Midweight
Sizing recommendation: Size up
Material: 100 percent cotton
Editor’s Note: The Patagonia Midweight Fjord Flannel is now simply called the Patagonia Fjord Flannel, and the price jumped about $20. While weight and fit appear to be the same, we’re testing the re-named version to make sure it still stacks up as a top pick.
Patagonia is so often at the cutting edge of technical gear that the company often doesn’t get its due when it comes to tried and true classics. The Midweight Fjord Flannel is proof that Patagonia’s commitment to quality is consistent across its product offerings. Constructed with 100 percent organic cotton and made in a fair trade certified factory, the Fjord is a flannel that you can feel good about feeling good in.
While it wasn’t the warmest flannel we tested, we liked the Fjord’s midweight fabric. It was extremely soft and not stiff like the heavier-weight flannels we tested. That meant it wasn’t nearly as prone to holding onto weird wrinkles, even after coming out from a surf and finding it balled up in the back of the car. One little quirk about the Fjord is that the silhouette was definitely longer than others in the category. That made it tricky to get sizing right.
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Most Stylish Flannel Shirt
Outerknown Blanket Shirt ($168)
Pros: Unique blanket weave, great fit, pearl snap closures
Cons: Not the softest
Weight: Midweight
Sizing recommendation: Size up
Material: 100 percent cotton
Picture an idyllic evening at the beach near a bonfire. Your arms are noodles after surfing all day. You’re nursing a hard-earned beer with friends, a beach blanket thrown over your shoulders as a slight breeze whips up embers from the flame. Outerknown’s Blanket Shirt line may be the closest approximation to that feeling in a piece of clothing. The unique fabric has the up-close look and feel of your favorite beach blanket.
We tested the Westerly version of the Blanket Shirt (no longer in stock), which featured pearl snaps instead of buttons. A nice touch for style points! Other styles in the Blanket Shirt line use the same fabric but feature different stylistic touches. Admittedly, the Westerly Blanket Shirt wasn’t the softest shirt we tried, but we loved it for its unique style and relaxed fit. It was plenty roomy without being slouchy.
Check Price on OuterknownBest Flannel Shirt Jacket
Fjallraven Canada Shirt ($170)
Pros: Warmest flannel we tested, synthetic/wool blend resists water
Cons: A little itchy out of the box
Weight: Heavyweight
Sizing recommendation: True to size
Material: 45% acrylic, 25% polyester, 25% wool, 5% other fibers
As we’ll address in more detail in our buyer’s guide, cotton flannels are great, but they have their limitations. Namely, they can absorb moisture like a sponge. That doesn’t bode well when it’s raining or when you start to sweat. This makes the wool blend construction of Fjallraven’s Canada Shirt a welcome upgrade for those looking for a technical layering piece for outdoor pursuits.
Fjallraven’s blend on this shirt is about 70 percent synthetic, which makes it water-resistant and fast-drying. High abrasion areas like the collar, cuffs, pocket flaps, and front opening are also reinforced with Fjallraven’s G1000 fabric for durability. The Canada Shirt was also the warmest shirt we tested. But it never felt too heavy or stiff.
As far as fit, it ran a little big. So we’d recommend going with your typical size or even sizing down as it’s a bit long. One downside of the Canada Shirt — it was a tad itchy to start, but got better after a few washes. We’re hoping the itch factor goes away completely over time. It’s also the most expensive flannel on our list.
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Best Fleece Flannel Shirt
Vissla ECO-zy LS Polar Flannel ($70)
Pros: Super soft feel, water resistant, price
Cons: Some pilling over time
Weight: Midweight
Sizing recommendation: Size up
Material: 100 percent polyester
If your favorite flannel shirt and your favorite fuzzy fleece sweatshirt had a love child, it’d be Vissla’s ECO-zy LS Polar Flannel. At first blush, the ECO-zy flannel has the classic patterns and prints you’d expect of a flannel shirt. But there’s more under the hood. The 100 percent recycled polyester construction gives the ECO-zy flannel a super plush feel. As an added bonus, polyester fleece is designed to be water-resistant and doesn’t shrink when washed. We loved the ECO-zy most for its versatility at a super reasonable price point.
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Best Tech Flannel Shirt
Flylow Handlebar Tech Flannel ($95)
Pros: High-tech features with classic flannel styling
Cons: Thin for a stand-alone shirt
Weight: Lightweight
Sizing recommendation: True to size
Material: 100 percent polyester
Flylow’s Handlebar Tech Flannel feels a bit like cheating. It may be a flannel in name, but that’s about where the similarities end. Flylow bills the Handlebar as a high-performance temperature-regulating mid-layer shirt designed for the slopes, hiking in the backcountry, or cruising around town.
The Handlebar isn’t as “flannelly” as other flannels on our list. It wasn’t quite as soft as others, for example, and didn’t have the same heft. But we loved that the Handlebar was a collared technical shirt doing its best impression of a classic flannel. What do we mean? The Handlebar integrated seamlessly into a layering system for the mountains but looked equally great as a stand-alone piece by the beach.
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Flannel Shirts: Best of the Rest
Cotopaxi Mero Flannel ($85)
Pros: Great weight, unique colorways
Cons: Somewhat stiff
Weight: Heavyweight
Sizing recommendation: Size up
Material: 100 percent cotton
Over the years, Cotopaxi has built a reputation for well-made, purpose-built gear that’s as bright and colorful as a meadow in full bloom/ While understated plaid is typically the name of the game when it comes to flannel patterns, Cotopaxi’s Mero patterns feature bright yellows, oranges, and blues that just pop.
The Mero’s heavyweight 100 percent cotton construction gave it the heft you’d expect of a well-built flannel meant to last for years. Though, like other heavyweight fabrics it was a bit stiff out of the box.
Check Price on COTOPAXIPendleton Burnside Double Brushed Flannel ($100)
Pros: Extremely soft, unlimited color options
Cons: Boxy fit, pretty thin
Weight: Lightweight
Sizing recommendation: size down for boxy fit
Material: 100 percent cotton
Pendleton has been in the business of textiles since 1863. The company’s dedication to craftsmanship shows in its Burnside Double Brushed Flannel. The Burnside was easily one of the softest shirts we tested, and the fabric was super lightweight. We also loved that it was available both in plaid and heather single-color versions, depending on personal preference. On colder evenings, it was a little thin for a stand-alone layer, though, and we found the fit a boxier than others.
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Flannel Shirts Comparison Table
| Flannel Shirts | Price | Material | Weight | Sizing Recommendation |
| MuskOx Grand Flannel | $134 | 100% Cotton | Heavyweight | Size up |
| Patagonia Midweight Fjord Flannel | $119 | 100% Cotton | Midweight | Size up |
| Outerknown Westerly Blanket Shirt | $168 | 100% Cotton | Midweight | Size up |
| Fjallraven Canada Shirt | $170 | 45% Acrylic, 25% polyester, 25% wool, 5% other fibers | Heavyweight | True to size |
| Vissla ECO-zy LS Polar Flannel | $70 | 100% Polyester | Midweight | Size Up |
| Flylow Handlebar Tech Flannel | $95 | 100% Polyester | Lightweight | True to size |
| Cotopaxi Mero Flannel | $85 | 100% Cotton | Heavyweight | Size up |
| Pendleton Burnside | $100 | 100% Cotton | Lightweight | Size Up |
How We Tested the Best Flannel Shirts
Our lead tester, Dylan Heyden, was born and raised in coastal Southern California. That means he’s sported flannel shirts since he was in diapers. Now, flannels make up the majority of his wardrobe, and he firmly believes a flannel constitutes formal attire.
For this test, we put flannels through their paces during a particularly chilly and rainy Southern California winter. While flannels aren’t typically known for their water resistance, the weather proved great for stress tests for each piece. The bottom line is that because flannel shirts are meant to be an everyday staple, our testing was largely made up of everyday tasks. Think brief walks outside, trips to and from the beach, an evening out, and a trip or two to the mountains.
Tester Sizing
Because fit weighed so heavily in our evaluation of each piece, we thought it prudent to shed more light on this, too. At 6’1” and 195 pounds, our lead tester always has difficulty finding shirts that fit him well. Going true to size usually fits well at first. But after shrinking in the wash, the piece will usually be too short. On the other hand, he finds that going up a size usually just makes the shirt wider and boxier. The point is that we include sizing recommendations in our recommendations above that are based on our lead tester’s personal experience.
Flannel shirts are versatile tools, and our testing included everything from mountain pursuits to cozy post-surf snuggles. Photo: Dylan Heyden/The Inertia
Buyer’s Guide
Cotton Flannel Shirts
At the risk of sounding redundant — flannel shirts are made with flannel fabric. But what is flannel, exactly? Good question. Flannel is a soft woven fabric most commonly made from wool, cotton, and, more recently, synthetic fibers. It’s often brushed on one or both sides with a fine metal brush for added softness. While the majority of flannel shirts feature a plaid or tartan pattern, not every plaid shirt is a flannel. And a flannel need not be plaid.
If the segment of flannel shirts we tested is an accurate representation, the most common material for flannels right now is cotton. This makes sense since cotton is soft and more cost-effective than wool. A 100-percent cotton flannel shirt is what we’ve grown to think of when we imagine a flannel shirt: soft, cozy, snug. But cotton has its limitations. For one, it shrinks. And if you’re looking for a technical layer, cotton isn’t it. If you sweat, cotton will soak it up like a sponge instead of wicking it away from your skin, making you colder.
Flannel shirts come in a variety of natural and synthetic fibers. Choose one based on your intended use. Photo: Dylan Heyden/The Inertia
Wool and Synthetic Flannel Shirts
This brings us to other materials that have even greater versatility: wool and synthetics. In days of old, wool was the primary cold-weather material. It remains hard to beat. Wool naturally fights body odor and absorbs moisture, keeping skin dry. But, a 100-percent wool flannel shirt can cost a pretty penny (think $200 to $300 range). Synthetic materials like polyester or acrylic fibers can be manufactured to mimic a lot of the benefits of wool and cotton at a much friendlier price point. And then there are wool blends — where wool is mixed with synthetic fibers to maximize the benefits of both materials.
Looking for the classic warmth and softness of a flannel shirt for kicking around town when it’s chilly out? A 100 percent cotton piece will serve you well. However, for those looking for a little extra — think a piece that could double as an insulating mid-layer in the snow — a wool, synthetic, or blend material may be a better option.
We gave the MuskOx Grand Flannel top marks for its on-point softness, perfect fit, and durable construction.
Weight
A key indicator brands will use to denote the warmth rating of a flannel shirt is weight, e.g., lightweight, midweight, or heavyweight. The only difficulty is that there can be major differences across brands. MuskOx calls its grand flannel a “heavyweight” flannel, for example. But in testing, Fjallraven’s Canada shirt was heavier and warmer. And what’s heavier than heavyweight?
In general, though, fabric weights are noted by grams per square meter (g/m2). This is the weight of one square meter of fabric. Lightweight flannels will typically weigh between 150 and 190 g/m2. Midweight flannels come in between 200 and 250 g/m2. And heavyweight flannels tip the scale at 250 g/m2.
Now that’s a big ol’ pile of cozy. Photo: Dylan Heyden/The Inertia
Fitting Flannel Shirts
As we explained above, our lead tester has major tall guy problems when it comes to fit. Most flannel shirts are comfort pieces, so a little extra material here or there isn’t the end of the world. But there’s a fine line between a slouchy look and swimming in your shirt. When considering fit, material is also pretty important. Again, cotton will likely shrink, whereas synthetics won’t. So sticking with your true size in a polyester flannel may be a better bet, but you may want to size up if purchasing a cotton flannel.
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Editor’s Note: Looking for more cold-weather gear? Check out our guide for Best Winter Jackets. Then warm yourself up with one of the Best Insulated Coffee Mugs. For more gear reviews and features on The Inertia, click here.
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