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Home › Comparison

Thursday’s Captain vs President Boots: 5 Differences You Should Know

Nick EnglishEditor-in-Chief
Updated Mar 1, 2024

This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission from.

At a cursory glance, Thursday’s Captain and President boots seem like the same boot, with only a toecap — an extra layer of leather over the end of the boot — to differentiate them. But there are actually multiple differences between these two boots you should know about. I’ve worn multiple pairs of these boots (the Brown and the Terracotta Captains and the Tobacco President), and I’ve really worn them to hell 

But you are here because you want to know what’s the same and what’s different between the two models of boots.

The Best Damn Boot
Thursday Boot Co. Captain Boot
Thursday Boot Co. Captain Boot

A comfortable, durable, and versatile cap toe boot handcrafted with quality leather from US hides and featuring Goodyear welt construction. The Captain is built to last — and match with anything.

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Tough and Timeless
Thursday Boot Co. President Boot
Thursday Boot Co. President Boot

The President is a plain toe, low profile boot that's built for longevity: they're resoleable, water resistant, and pair with just about any outfit.

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Captain vs President: Differences

  • The Captain has a toe cap, the President does not
  • The President is sometimes sold without speed hooks 
  • The Captain has wider widths available
  • The President has fewer sole options
  • They have different leathers available
thursday captain vs president
The Tobacco President and the Terracotta Captain

1. The Toe Cap

The first difference is indeed that toe cap. Every version of the Captain boot has a few lines of stitching over the toe break.

It’s worth emphasizing that it isn’t, as I incorrectly noted in the video above, another strip of leather. In boots like the Red Wing Iron Ranger, another layer of leather is added on top of the end of the boot to offer a little more protection. However, the Captain’s toecap is two pieces of leather stitched together instead of on top of one another.  I wouldn’t really emphasize the protectiveness, but this does add a bit more structure to the toe. Toe caps can also sometimes make small feet look smaller, so if that’s a concern, then you might want to consider the plain toe President.

[Read my Review of Thursday Captain Boot HERE]

Thursday Captain Speed Hooks

2. The Speed Hooks

The second difference is the speed hooks: all the Captains have them, while only some of the Presidents do. 

Speed hooks — where there are hooks instead of eyelets — let you speedily lace up the boots, and for many guys they’re actually a priority.

But only some of the Presidents come with speed hooks. This information might change in the future, but as it stands, the four Presidents made with “Rugged and Resilient” leather come with speed hooks, the three “classic” leathers for the President (Brown, Natural, and Black) come with the option of speed hooks or not, and all the other leathers (like Burnt Honey and Black Coffee) don’t have speed hooks as an option. 

[Related: How to Size Thursday Boots]

Thursday Boot Company's President with and without speed hooks
Left: Thursday President without speed hooks; Right: Thursday President with speed hooks

So if your boots don’t have speed hooks then they’ll look a little cleaner but they’ll take more time to get on and off. If it’s a big deal to you, a cobbler can replace the eyelets with speed hooks (or vice versa) for a few bucks.

[Related: Thursday President Boot Review]

Thursday President Width

3. Widths

The third difference is the widths. At the moment, there are just two President boots that are available in wider widths: the Tobacco and the Brown (with speed hooks). Again, this will probably change, but out of about a dozen versions of the President, only the Tobacco comes in widths that are meant to fit EE and EEE feet. (Thursday’s “standard” width is meant to fit D and E widths, “wide” is for EE and EEE.)

Meanwhile, the Captain has six models you can get in wider widths right now: Brown, Terracotta, Black, Natural, Black Matte, and Arizona Adobe. So the Captain is a much better bet for dudes with wide feet. 

[Related: The Best Boots for Wide Feet]

Thursday Captain with the Storm King Sole
The Captain with the Storm King sole

4. Sole Options

I’m sure that in time Thursday will have the same soles available for both boots, but right now Thursday’s new-ish sole, the Storm King, is available on the Captain boot and not on the President boot. The Storm King is an extra grippy, functional, and tall sole that you can grab on the Tobacco Captain and the Whiskey Captain.

thursday captain terracotta

5. Leathers

Finally, the fifth and last difference between the Captain and the President is the leathers. Some Captains are available in certain leathers and colors that you can’t get on the Presidents, and vice versa. For example, both come in the brown Thursday Chrome and natural Chromexcel, which are sort of Thursday’s classic leathers that they’ve had from they launched. Otherwise there are not a lot of leathers you can get on both of these boots.

But there are lots of leathers you can only get with specific models of boots. The Saddlewood Rugged and Resilient leather is not available on the President boot but the Frontier, Mahogany, and Black Coffee leathers can only be bought on the President.

[Read More: How to Clean Thursday’s Rugged and Resilient Leather]

Thursday Captain Midnight Suede

The Captain is the more popular boot and therefore is available in more leathers and more experimental offerings too, like the vaguely orange Burnt Ginger or the Midnight Blue Suede (above). Typically, those kinds of colors will wind up as options for the Captain. That’s a bit of a generalization, but you’ll find more experimentation going on with the Captain than on the President boot, generally speaking.

Wrapping Up

And that’s all the differences between these two very very popular boots. The main takeaway here is the Captain is more popular, so there are more configurations you can buy — the storm king sole, unusual leathers, and more widths. The Captain has always been Thursday’s flagship boot, so that’s where you’ll see the brand trying out different styles and unusual leathers. The President is a tad more traditional as far as aesthetics go, but I absolutely love wearing them both. 

Nick English

Editor-in-Chief

Nick English, the founder and editor of Stridewise, combines a rich background in journalism with well-recognized expertise in welted footwear and casual menswear.

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About Stridewise

by Nick English

Founded in 2018 to help men buy the best boots, we’ve since expanded our team and purview to review and celebrate casual footwear and menswear that’s as close to “buy it for life” quality as possible. We take great pride in being a trusted source for information while maintaining complete editorial independence. At no extra cost to you, we might earn a commission from a brand when you purchase through our links, which helps us keep our mission alive. Learn More

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Reader Interactions

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  1. ed rader

    April 25, 2024 at 6:17 pm

    nick how come you never give the weight of boots?

    Reply
    • Nick English

      May 3, 2024 at 5:50 am

      i should, shouldn’t i! i’ve been doing it lately in videos, Thursdays (both of these) are a little under 800 grams per boot; lighter than most. My Red Wings 885 grams, Nicks Americana boots are 1,200

      Reply

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Founded in 2018 to help men buy the best boots, we’ve since expanded our team and purview to review and celebrate casual footwear and menswear that’s as close to “buy it for life” quality as possible. We take great pride in being a trusted source for information while maintaining complete editorial independence. At no extra cost to you, we might earn a commission from a brand when you purchase through our links, which helps us keep our mission alive. Learn More

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