Thursday Boots Cavalier Review: Hands-On With Their ‘Best’ Chelsea

I’m a sucker for Chelsea boots.

I must own about 10 pairs now.

But that’s not stopping me from snooping around and picking up any new pair that catches my eye. 

Thursday Boots originally started out with the Duke—a more casual rendition of the style. But a few years ago, they released a more sleek, dressy Chelsea: the Cavalier. 

I picked up the Thursday Cavalier in Shadow Grey suede, and have been wearing it around town for a few months now. 

Given all the experience I’ve had with this style, a few things stuck out to me immediately. So are these boots worth it? Keep reading to get the full story.

Thursday Boots Cavalier Overview

The Thursday Boots Cavalier is the young brand’s answer to the dressier styled Chelsea Boots you might find from Carmina, Beckett Simonon, or other fancy-pants companies. 

It’s built on a narrow and low-profile Oxford last, which Thursday actually uses for all their dress-shoes, too. 

Design features like a leather outsole and the omission of pull tabs on the back make these a trendy footwear option for more formal events. The Cavalier looks at home with a suit, though it’s not too stuffy to wear with casual jeans. 

But compared to Thursday’s other Chelsea boot, the Duke, it’s much more slim and sleek. While both look fantastic paired with jeans, the Cavalier is the more versatile of the two. 

At the time of writing there are seven different leather options, all available in sizes 6-15 (with plenty of half-sizes, too). 

Things to Consider Before Buying

How do you plan on wearing your Chelsea boots? If you’re a Chelsea and jeans kind of guy, you might be better off with the Duke. While the Cavalier does have rubber studs in the leather outsole, leather just doesn’t have the same durability a full rubber sole would.

But if you’re looking for a Chelsea boot you can pair with a suit and wear to a wedding, then I’d go with the Cavalier over the Duke all day. 

I’ll discuss this more in the fit and sizing section of my review, but it’s important to note that the Cavalier is quite narrow. It’s part of its slim, classy charm, but if you have wide feet, you might not find a comfortable size.

My Hands-On Review

First Impression

I picked up my Thursday Cavalier’s in Shadow Grey suede. I like the extra bit of burnishing around the toe and heel, and I have plenty of standard leather Chelsea’s already.

I expected the Cavalier would have a slim silhouette, and it didn’t disappoint. Even with the 360-degree Goodyear welt, it keeps a trim profile, which is unusual. 

I love the style of these, and prefer it over more bulbous Chelsea styles (think of Blundstone’s or the Red Wing Heritage Chelsea). 

The slim style helps elongate my feet and makes my appearance more trim overall. While the leather option I chose takes this boot out of the running for any formal occasions, I think the style is killer with a slim pair of jeans. 

Leather Quality and Care

The Thursday Cavalier comes in three standard leathers and four suede options. As I said, I picked mine up in the Shadow Grey WeatherSafe suede. 

Unlike traditional suede, the WeatherSafe suede isn’t velvety and smooth, but instead more roughed out and rugged looking. 

I really like the look of it, though I think it’s a bit too rough to pair with a suit (the standard leather options are a better choice for this). 

One benefit is that you don’t need to worry too much about getting these boots wet. There’s a good deal of wax on the upper, so water tends to bead up and roll off without soaking into the leather. 

Even with the rough exterior, this leather is quite supple. It’s very comfortable, but I noticed it has a tendency to lose its shape without a pair of shoe trees. I had to give my boots a week’s rest because I’d stored them empty and I didn’t like where the shape was headed. 

So make sure you invest in cedar shoe trees to keep the Cavalier sleek and dapper looking.

Caring for the leather is quite easy—I just use a suede brush and knock off any dirt or scuffs. Suede is easy to keep clean, though every time you brush this kind of leather, you also remove some of the wax. 

I’m planning on using some OtterWax on these boots around the 1-year mark, and I’ll probably re-up annually to keep the leather as water-resistant as possible. 

Sole

The sole of the Thursday Cavalier is primarily leather with rubber TPU studs. Thursday also applies their standard rubber toplift on the heel, which helps increase the longevity.

Because the Cavalier has a 360-degree Goodyear welt, you’ll have no trouble getting your boots resoled when the time comes. Though if I’m honest, I’d probably just buy a new pair of boots at the sub-$200 range. The Cavalier should have no trouble going for three to four years before needing any sort of reconstruction, and at that point, I’d feel very good about the price per wear. 

Thursday Boots are all really comfortable—it’s one of my favorite things about the brand. Some folks say they feel like sneakers, and while I wouldn’t go that far, Thursdays are much more comfortable on the footbed than Red Wing or Wolverine. 

The insole is made with an EVA Comfort Strip, and is otherwise lined with leather. The Cavalier features a cork midsole, too, so the entire boot has a balance between immediate comfort (EVA foam), and long term durability as your foot will break into the leather and cork. 

The leather outsole keeps things classy, and opens the option to wear the Cavalier in more formal situations. Because I have the roughout Shadow suede, my pair isn’t suitable for formal events, but I can see wearing the sleek black or brown leather to a wedding.

Fit and Sizing

The Thursday Cavalier is quite narrow, and that’s because it’s built on a dress-shoe last. If you have wide feet, there aren’t really any good options for you, and you might want to check out the Thursday Duke instead. 

However, I picked my Cavalier’s up in a size 10, and my usual sneaker size is a 10.5. I always size a half-step down for Thursday Boots, and the fit is on point. 

The Cavalier fits a bit more snug around the sides of my feet, but after a few miles of walking, the leather seemed to break in and my boots ceased being uncomfortable. 

If you’re not quite sure which you should go with (i.e. sometimes you’re a half size, sometimes you’re a full size), go with the larger of your two choices. I love that Thursday has an easy return policy, so even if you decide your new boots are too big, it’s no problem exchanging for the correct size. 

Break-in Period

Because of the more narrow fit, I did experience a bit of discomfort for the first few miles, but the Thursday Cavalier basically had no break in period.

The leather relaxed a bit by the second time I slipped my boots on and they’ve been fitting like a dream ever since. 

I always like to go through the reviews to see how others fared with the break in and no one mentioned having any difficulty.

The Thursday Cavalier is bonafide comfortable from the get-go. 

What do Other Reviewers Say?

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Thursday Boot Company (@thursdayboots)

At the time of writing, the Thursday Cavalier has over 1,000 reviews on its product page and sits at a near-perfect score. 

There’s a bit of contention, with some folks saying they ordered their true sneaker size, and many going with Thursday’s advice to order a half-size smaller. 

In my own experience (with four different pairs of Thursdays), order a half-size smaller than your sneaker size. It may fit a bit narrow at the beginning, but the leather gives way and you’ll likely end with a perfect fit. 

Thursday Cavalier Alternatives

If I’m honest, the Cavalier is one of my favorite Chelsea boots. I prefer the narrow slim silhouette compared to some of the other more bulky Chelsea boots I own (though I love those, too). 

But there are a few good alternatives if the more narrow style isn’t your jam. 

Thursday Boots Duke

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Zach (@heritage_style_)

The Duke is Thursday’s first Chelsea boot, and there are a few key differences.

It’s built on a wider last, and while it’s not bulbous like a Blundstone or Red Wing Chelsea, it has a more casual vibe than the Cavalier. 

I like the leather trim around the elastic gore panel on the Duke, but again, it plants the Duke more firmly in the casual category. 

The Duke has the same insole and midsole construction (also a 360-degree Goodyear welt), but the outsole is Thursday’s classic rubber studded sole. The Duke also has nylon pull tabs in the back, which make it a lot easier to slip on. 

Between the two, the Cavalier is definitely the more dressy option, so it’s more versatile and the better choice in my opinion.

That said, my co-editor Dean prefers the Duke over the Cavalier, so it’s really up to which style you prefer. Both are made with the same construction quality and materials, so you can’t go wrong either way. 

Ace Marks Troy

The only Chelsea boot I own that gives the Thursday Cavalier a run for its money in the dressy category is the Ace Marks Troy. 

I picked up the Troy in sleek full grain Italian calf-skin leather, and it’s beautiful. This is definitely my go-to boot for weddings and other events that are mostly formal (but never black-tie). 

The shape is quite similar between the two, but the Ace Marks Troy is more of a dress boot through and through. It has a full leather sole—no rubber studs. And it’s made with a Blake stitch, which keeps the profile a bit slimmer and sleeker. 

Again, the Cavalier is more versatile, and I wear it more often because I don’t go to too many weddings or formal events. The Cavalier is much more comfortable for walking several miles compared to the Troy, and my regular routine requires several miles of walking a day. 

But if you’re looking for a true dress-Chelsea for more formal situations only, I would opt for the Ace Marks Troy over the Cavalier. 

My Overall Thoughts

Prefer your boot reviews in video form? Then feast your eyes on my video review of the Cavalier on our YouTube channel:

FAQs