Thursday Scout Review : The Superior Desert Boot?

After years of hating on chukka boots, I finally converted this summer: desert boots are probably the best boot for summer. Made with suede uppers and soft crepe rubber soles, desert boots are lightweight and breathable: two words that are rarely associated with boots, which are better known for being worn when you need something heavy and hardwearing.

One of the models I tried out was Thursday Boot Company’s Scout, which is indisputably higher quality than the industry leading Clarks Desert Boot, but does that mean it’s better? Read on to see what I mean about how to review a desert boot, how to size Thursday’s Scout, other versions of this boot that Thursday sells, and the verdict on Thursday versus Clarks. 

Thursday Scout Pros and Cons

My unhealthy obsession with boots combined with my years of experience as a journalist (in the fitness space, if you can believe it) means I’m prone to overlong reviews, so I’ve made you a quick bullet-point summary. 

Pros

• Great value
• Crepe sole is harder wearing than most desert boots 
• Resoleable and water resistant 
• 3 models available: pick an outdoorsy, summery, or dressy chukka 

Cons

• Some prefer a floppier, more sneaker-like desert boot
• No wide sizes for most models
• Just one colorway in the desert boot model 
• Leather lined = a little less breathable than you might like

First Impressions: What’s a Chukka Boot Now? 

Chukkas! They’re short boots. And they only have two or three pairs of eyelets, and usually they’re blind eyelets: meaning the metal side is hidden under the lacing panel and it looks like the laces are just emerging from the leather.

What I’m getting at is that they’re minimalist: they’re not tall, they have as little lacing as possible, they’re not buzzing with details and textures, and they’re not made with many pieces of leather.

There Are 3 Kinds of Thursday Scouts

I’m in a tight spot reviewing Thursday’s Scout because the name “Scout” is given to three different kinds of Thursday chukkas. 

One is dressy, with a flat rubber sole and smarter leathers like the options above.

Then there are the harder wearing chukkas made with extra water resistant, oil tanned leather and chunky wedge soles. Those ones are also Goodyear welted while the others are made with stitchdown (more on that later).

Judging from the product specs, the other kinds of Scouts are also more substantial and complex than the one I’m reviewing today; they have leather midsoles and either a stacked leather heel or more complex Goodyear welt construction.

So I’ll call the three kinds of Scouts “Smart,” “Outdoorsy,” and then… there’s the lone desert boot.

Chukkas vs Desert Boots

“Desert boot” is a term used to describe chukkas made with suede uppers and crepe rubber soles.

As the name suggests, they originated as hot weather footwear: suede is breathable, crepe is flimsy, the typical stitchdown construction (when used with these components) keeps it lightweight, and it’s overall closer to a sneaker than most boots are. That’s why desert boots are popular. 

And the most popular desert boot is…

Thursday vs Clarks Desert Boot

• Thursday: $160
• Clarks: $150

Clarks is cheaper but it’s several levels “worse” — but that might be what you want. Let me explain.

Clarks is very flimsy: the rubber sole is foamy and squishy, the suede is thin and floppy, it weighs next to nothing, and although it’s made with simple stitchdown construction, it’s pretty hard to resole. (Whether it can be resoled depends on which cobbler you ask, but the odds are relatively high that it can’t be done.)

But the thing is, that’s what a lot of people want from a desert boot: something as light and flimsy and soft and breathable as possible. It breathes well and feels right with breezy summer wear.

Still, you need to understand that for ten or twenty extra bucks, Thursday gives you a lot more: the sole, while harder, will last for far longer. The leather lining gives it a luxurious feel. It has cork filling that will regulate moisture and mold to your foot’s shape with wear. And it’s a lot easier to resole. 

So the Scout will last you longer and costs about the same price, it just feels a bit more like a boot than you might be used to if you’re a Clarks fan.

How I Tested Thursday’s Scout for This Review

I’ve been trying out various chukkas this summer as I tried to nail what makes a great summer boot, including Red Wing’s Weekender Chukka, Astorflex’s Brownflex, and Jim Green’s Vellie — I posted my rankings in this list of Clarks Desert Boot alternatives.

Of all these chukkas, I wound up taking the Scout on a recent trip to Asia because I only had room for one boot and I wanted one that was casual enough for fatigues but wasn’t too hard to dress up if I wanted to.

The Scout, with its almond shaped toe and stiffer sole, won out as my most versatile desert boot. Easy to wear with chinos and a button down or with fatigues and a camp collar shirt.

Thursday’s Scout Leather and Construction

• Stitchdown construction = resoleable but not too heavy
• Steel shank for stability
• Some Scouts have leather midsoles, but not the desert boot

There are a lot of reasons the Scout feels heavier and sturdier than cheaper desert boots: the crepe sole is hard, it has a layer of cork underfoot, and it has a steel shank for stability.

Weirdly, they describe it as made with “stitchout” construction on their product page, which isn’t a thing. I wrote to Thursday to clarify what they meant, and it turns out they meant it’s stitchdown construction.

There are two main ways of making hard wearing boots: Goodyear welt and stitchdown. While stitchdown is more popular on ultra heavy duty boots like Pacific Northwest logging boots, it can also be used to make boots that are lighter and more flexible than Goodyear welts, which are used on most of Thursday’s other boots. Examples of lightweight stitchdown boots include Red Wing’s Weekender line and Clarks Desert boot (though, again, a lot of cobblers won’t try resoling a Clarks).

A note on the leather: there’s just one Thursday desert boot and it’s made with snuff suede, meaning it’s not the kind of fancy waterproof and stainproof suede you might be used to from Thursday.

They developed that “Weathersafe” suede to mitigate the complaints people tend to have about suede’s vulnerability to stains, and you’ll be glad to know you can still get that on some models of the Scout. But if you want a desert boot style chukka, you’ll have to settle for this regular suede. I think it looks better than the waterproof stuff, you’ll just need to know how to clean suede.

After a few months of use, I haven’t had to shampoo them or anything — a quick rub down with a brass bristled brush has been all I’ve needed so far.

Thursday Scout Fit & Sizing

• Subtract 0.5 from your sneaker size

Boot sizing is confusing because you’ve always got to subtract. That’s not always the case for stitchdown boots but for Thursday’s Scout, no matter which model you get, the advice is to subtract 0.5 from your sneaker size.

Of course, if you own more than a couple of sneakers, there’s a decent chance they’re two different sizes: my sneakers are either a 12 or 11.5, which is my actual, correct, “true” size you get on the device they measure your feet with in the shoe store.

I ordered a size 11 and they fit fine. My toes don’t splay all the way out, but these aren’t barefoot boots. I think an 11.5 would have worked fine for me as well, and since these boots aren’t laceless nor especially roomy, it’s honestly not a big deal if you ordered your “boot size” (mine’s 11) or your “true size” (mine’s 11.5).

So Thursday’s advice to subtract 0.5 from your sneaker size should work out for you just fine.

Note that two of the Scouts are available in wide sizes: they aren’t the crepe-soled desert boots or the Rugged ones, but the wide Scouts are suede, and I’d call them the most versatile Scouts in the lineup.

Wrapping Up: Are Thursday’s Scout Boots Worth It?

Yeah! They’re the same price as Clarks but they’re way longer lasting. If you want something spongy and flimsy and lightweight then they won’t be for you, but if you like the desert boot look and prefer one that’ll last through a few resoles, the Scout is the kind of boot that only looks and feels better with age.

That’s rare for any boot, but especially rare for desert boots.