A good set of flannel sheets should be so warm and inviting that it’s hard to leave them on a cold morning—if you don’t want to stay in bed all day, they’re not doing their job.
After putting in almost 200 hours of research and testing, and trying dozens of flannel sets since 2016, we still love L.L.Bean’s Ultrasoft Comfort Flannel Sheet Set. It’s one of the softest, sturdiest, and coziest flannel sets around.
Our pick
Consistently better than almost every set we’ve tried, these supersoft, well-made flannel sheets should keep you toasty on cold winter nights.
The high-quality, long-staple cotton of L.L.Bean’s Ultrasoft Comfort Flannel Sheet Set stays soft over many seasons—we’ve used and loved these sheets for years. Made with Portuguese flannel, the softest in our testing, the Ultrasoft Comfort sheets are of better quality—but cost much less—than many high-end sets we’ve tried. These sheets are warm but not too heavy, and they didn’t cause our testers to overheat. They also come with L.L.Bean’s famous customer service and one-year return policy.
Budget pick
These bargain sheets aren’t the most luxurious flannel set we recommend, but they’ve outperformed many pricier sets we’ve tested. And they come in the most modern, whimsical prints of all of our picks.
Target’s Threshold Flannel Sheet Set costs about a quarter of the price of our top pick from L.L.Bean. And though the Threshold sheets may not last as long, they’re still a fantastic deal and will definitely keep you warm. These sheets aren’t as soft as the L.L.Bean Ultrasoft Comfort sheets, and in our long-term testing they pilled more, but they’ve performed better than many expensive sets we’ve tried, including those from Boll & Branch and Riley. The Threshold sheets come in fun colors and prints, including holiday options, which vary from year to year but are typically more modern than those from L.L.Bean. Target carries these sheets only for winter, and the prints sell out often; the retailer does restock them throughout the season, but if you see a pattern you like, don’t wait to buy it.
Upgrade pick
The Premium Supima sheets feel softer and plusher than any other flannel sheets we’ve tried, and after years of long-term testing them, we know they last.
If you want the softest flannel sheets we’ve found and don’t mind paying more for them, we recommend the L.L.Bean Premium Supima Flannel Sheet Collection. These sheets are almost twice the price of the L.L.Bean Ultrasoft Comfort sheets, but over several years of our testing they’ve consistently been the softest flannel sheets overall. Like the Ultrasoft Comfort sheets, the Premium Supima sheets are beautifully constructed from Portuguese flannel, but the fabric is thicker and weightier, with minimal shrinkage and pilling. We’ve long-term tested two sets over three to four years each, and they’re still plush and warm. The Premium Supima sheets are pricey, but they’re a great investment.
