Storing single bits efficiently

[mrT]

Hi,
My latest web project includes loads of user-customisable features,
lots of which are on/off values. Currently I'm storing each one of the
15 or so properties in tinyint fields, as 1s or 0s. There must be a
smarter way...

I know it's possible to store a set of 8 bits in a tinyint column, but
the work involved in retrieving, and (more importantly) updating the
flags is off-putting. I had a look at the set field type, but can't
find any mysql functions for updating sets - I want to be able to
change specific bits in a set without having to retrieve the set
first.

What do the pros do? Any help is appreciated.

TIA!
Thomas