diff --git a/src/client/request.rs b/src/client/request.rs
index 67f7c45fe2..31b7104e09 100644
--- a/src/client/request.rs
+++ b/src/client/request.rs
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ pub struct Request<B = Body> {
     version: HttpVersion,
     headers: Headers,
     body: Option<B>,
+    is_proxy: bool,
 }
 
 impl<B> Request<B> {
@@ -28,6 +29,7 @@ impl<B> Request<B> {
             version: HttpVersion::default(),
             headers: Headers::new(),
             body: None,
+            is_proxy: false,
         }
     }
 
@@ -66,6 +68,13 @@ impl<B> Request<B> {
     /// Set the body of the request.
     #[inline]
     pub fn set_body<T: Into<B>>(&mut self, body: T) { self.body = Some(body.into()); }
+
+    /// Set that the URI should use the absolute form.
+    ///
+    /// This is only needed when talking to HTTP/1 proxies to URLs not
+    /// protected by TLS.
+    #[inline]
+    pub fn set_proxy(&mut self, is_proxy: bool) { self.is_proxy = is_proxy; }
 }
 
 impl<B> fmt::Debug for Request<B> {
@@ -80,7 +89,11 @@ impl<B> fmt::Debug for Request<B> {
 }
 
 pub fn split<B>(req: Request<B>) -> (RequestHead, Option<B>) {
-    let uri = Uri::from_str(&req.url[::url::Position::BeforePath..::url::Position::AfterQuery]).expect("url is uri");
+    let uri = if req.is_proxy {
+        Uri::from(req.url)
+    } else {
+        Uri::from_str(&req.url[::url::Position::BeforePath..::url::Position::AfterQuery]).expect("url is not uri")
+    };
     let head = RequestHead {
         subject: ::http::RequestLine(req.method, uri),
         headers: req.headers,
diff --git a/tests/client.rs b/tests/client.rs
index 233f009b3d..94a2d31827 100644
--- a/tests/client.rs
+++ b/tests/client.rs
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ macro_rules! test {
                 url: $client_url:expr,
                 headers: [ $($request_headers:expr,)* ],
                 body: $request_body:expr,
+                proxy: $request_proxy:expr,
 
             response:
                 status: $client_status:ident,
@@ -61,6 +62,8 @@ macro_rules! test {
                 let body: &'static str = body;
                 req.set_body(body);
             }
+            req.set_proxy($request_proxy);
+
             let res = client.request(req);
 
             let (tx, rx) = oneshot::channel();
@@ -109,6 +112,7 @@ test! {
             url: "http://{addr}/",
             headers: [],
             body: None,
+            proxy: false,
         response:
             status: Ok,
             headers: [
@@ -130,6 +134,7 @@ test! {
             url: "http://{addr}/foo?key=val#dont_send_me",
             headers: [],
             body: None,
+            proxy: false,
         response:
             status: Ok,
             headers: [
@@ -159,6 +164,7 @@ test! {
                 ContentLength(7),
             ],
             body: Some("foo bar"),
+            proxy: false,
         response:
             status: Ok,
             headers: [],
@@ -188,6 +194,31 @@ test! {
                 TransferEncoding::chunked(),
             ],
             body: Some("foo bar baz"),
+            proxy: false,
+        response:
+            status: Ok,
+            headers: [],
+            body: None,
+}
+
+test! {
+    name: client_http_proxy,
+
+    server:
+        expected: "\
+            GET http://{addr}/proxy HTTP/1.1\r\n\
+            Host: {addr}\r\n\
+            \r\n\
+            ",
+        reply: REPLY_OK,
+
+    client:
+        request:
+            method: Get,
+            url: "http://{addr}/proxy",
+            headers: [],
+            body: None,
+            proxy: true,
         response:
             status: Ok,
             headers: [],