The Best Flannel Sheets for Chilly Nights

WIRED

10-03-2025

Lands' End Luxe Supima Cotton Heathered Flannel Sheet Set If you aren't familiar with Supima cotton, it's a long-staple cotton grown in the United States that promises softer fabrics, better strength, and less pilling thanks to its longer fiber. You're likely more familiar with Egyptian cotton, which is a more popular long-staple cotton. Long-staple means that the fiber is longer, and longer fiber makes the cotton stronger and less likely to pill since you have fewer cotton ends. It makes it softer, too, since you'll touch more of the silky cotton fiber rather than fiber ends. It's thanks to that Supima cotton that I found the Lands' End Luxe Supima Cotton Heathered Flannel Sheets so soft. They're heavier than our top pick, both in the weight of the flannel and in the overall feel of the sheets on a bed, so they're a good choice if you need something extra warm. Long-staple cotton does tend to have less airflow, too, so it's no surprise these are some of the warmest sheets I slept on. Still, I loved the super-soft feel, making this heavy flannel feel delightfully cozy instead of scratchy or suffocating, and especially loved these sheets during the coldest nights of the year. Includes a fitted sheet, flat sheet, and two pillowcases.
Legends Luxury Luxe Velvet Flannel Sheets
Flannel already has some texture to it, thanks to the brushed-out cotton fibers you'll find on both sides of the sheet. If you're looking for a more velvetlike softness, though, several companies make a velvet flannel that promises to last longer and pill less, all while retaining warmth and a cozy texture that will feel like velvet instead of fluffy cotton. My favorite set comes from the Company Store. The Company Store has made a few different lines of velvet flannel, and the Legends Luxury Luxe set has a fantastic soft feel to it that will keep you cozy.
The velvet feel, in my opinion, doesn't make a huge difference, since it's still made from cotton (while true velvet is made from silk). But side by side you can feel there's a different texture, and it feels a little denser than your classic fluffy flannel. It feels warmer, too, due to that denser design that can retain more heat. I still prefer more classic flannel, but if you're looking for something soft and dense, this is the set I'd recommend.
The only downside? You have to purchase the parts of these sheets individually. It's annoying. For that reason alone, I'm probably more likely to buy the Lands' End heathered set above if I wanted a super soft, extra warm flannel sheet set with some extra texture to it, but to each their own.
The Fitted sheet, flat sheet, and pillowcases are all sold separately.