Beckett Simonon Morgen GATs, Reviewed
Price: $179 [or Less]
Why Buy?
The Beckett Simonon Morgen Trainer offers an affordable way to get a GAT, and is surprisingly comfortable.
Why Avoid?
The Beckett Simonon Morgen Trainer isn’t a 1 to 1 design replica of other well known GATs.
Specs
| Model | Morgen |
| Height | Low |
| Materials | Leather / Suede / Rubber |
| Size | 12 / 15.8 oz |
| Weight | 448 g |
| Construction | Cemented |
| Country of Origin | Columbia |
Beckett Simonon
If you’ve spent any time on men’s fashion blogs, odds are you’ve come across Beckett Simonon. They were ahead of the curve on influencer marketing, and it’s paid off—few direct-to-consumer brands are as widely name-dropped.
But there’s always been something that bugged me. A lot of the praise comes without actual photos, just stock imagery and vague endorsements. That left me wondering—what are these sneakers really like in hand?
Before we jump in, I do want to be clear. When I review a pair of shoes, I want to review them fairly. Things that are completely unacceptable on a pair of $1,500 Edward Green might not even be worth mentioning in a pair of $80 Vans.
While Beckett Simonon does list a “traditional retail” price, in practice their sneakers are always sold at a lower price point. Knowing that, I will be reviewing these based on the price they actually sell for.
Disclaimer: Beckett Simonon sent these sneakers to me for free for the purpose of review. However, this is not a sponsored review. Beckett Simonon was not able to review anything in this review in advance, nor were they able to change anything posted here. Everything in this review is true to my own opinion.
Ordering
Before we get into the Beckett Simonon Morgen itself, it is worth touching on the ordering process. Beckett Simonon makes their shoes to order. Or, in other words, they start building them after you click buy.
While it is nice to get something a bit quicker, I have to say Beckett Simonon do an amazing job keeping you up to date. There are a lot of brands selling boots for $600+ that could learn a lot from how these guys do things.
If you order a pair, you can expect an email every 10 days or so giving you a status update. These range from an estimated start date, actual start date, when the shoes are finished, and shipping. Also included is some additional information that is actually useful. This includes information on how the shoes are made, to an extremely in-depth sizing guide to tell if sneakers fit before being broken in.
Most weeks I typically have at least one pair of shoes arrive at my door, and even I was excited to get these updates.
All in all, my shoes took 38 days from the order being placed to arriving at my door.
Looks
Upper
The Beckett Simonon Morgen trainer is their take on the German Army Trainer, or GAT.
While Beckett Simonon does make pairs that have changes, I opted for one that most closely resembles those original trainers from the 1970’s. That means grey suede panels along the toe box, midfoot, eyelets and heel layered on top of white leather pretty much everywhere else.
Beckett Simonon wisely stuck close to the original GAT design, which preserves the understated appeal of the silhouette. The beauty of this design is in its simplicity. Beyond the leather, they still keep things classic. A (functional) row of stitching below the throat, a leather lace loop on the unbranded tongue. And that’s about it.
The sneakers do come with a bit of padding around the collar that is pretty visible in hand. It doesn’t bother me, but if you do want that ultra minimalist look, you’ll probably notice it.
Inside, the Beckett Simonon Morgen is lined with a dark tan glove leather. This is actually an upgrade from both the original GAT and the Maison Margiela GAT that costs 5x the price of this one. On the heel of the interior is the Beckett Simonon branding, and that’s about it.
It may be worth noting here, online Beckett Simonon lists these with a white leather interior. I much prefer the tan interior I received, but if you were expecting white these might throw you off.
On the right sneaker, the eyelet panel was cut slightly off, but otherwise I wasn’t able to find any flaws on the upper of the sneaker.
Included with the sneaker is two identical pairs of waxed cotton laces.
Mid- and Outsole
For the midsole of the Beckett Simonon Morgen trainer, the brand went for a cup sole – similar to every other GAT style sneaker. For this pair, they opted for a bit more of a tan color over a gum.
Fron the side, the cup sole is only slightly higher in the back than up front. This more minimal drop is closer to the original German Army Trainer, compared to the more substantial drop of a lot of more modern iterations of this design. Will you notice it one way or the other when you wear them? Almost certainly not. But flagging just in case.
Underneath, you’ll find that classic GAT-style outsole. Up front, a pivot point target and three circles are pressed into a triangle grip pattern. In the back, the alternating circular nibs are where most of your traction is going to come from when you walk around.
Summary
When designing the Morgan Trainer, or at least this colorway, Beckett Simonon wanted to create a classic GAT, and they’ve done so.
With only one exception on the eyelets, the construction on this pair of shoes is great. They’ve also managed to nail the grey and white balance to ensure the sneaker is versatile while also having some visual interest.
As for how you can style these – they go with basically everything. I’ve worn GATs with shorts and a t shirt, chinos and oxfords, and even to casual work events. Really, it’s easier to say don’t wear them with a tie or on the beach. Pretty much everything else is on the table.
Fit & Comfort
Fit
For the Morgen Trainer, Beckett Simonon recommends ordering your true Brannock size, which is notable since most sneaker brands run a half to full size larger. I followed their advice and went with a US 12—my typical size in dress shoes (and a full size down from what I wear in Nike or Adidas).
I found that these sneakers fit well with thin, dress style socks. However, if I was going to be wearing athletic socks, they are tighter than I would prefer. If you’re in between sizes I would definitely go up rather than down. If you do go too big, they include inserts to help fill up volume. It’s also possible to swap the thinner inserts for the included insoles, but trust me – you don’t want to. I’ll talk about the insoles more later, but they are great.
The last is surprisingly accommodating given the visual style of the sneaker. When I took them out of the box I initially though “there is no way these won’t crush my toes.” Yet, on feet, they don’t!
Comfort
Much like the last, the Beckett Simonon Morgen is surprisingly comfortable, given the style of sneaker. By design, GATs have very minimal padding. However, Beckett Simonon has managed to fit a very beefy insole in there to provide a little bit of cushioning.
It’s nothing crazy – don’t throw out your New Balance 990s – but it’s easily twice as thick as the Maison Margiela Replica. Combined with the thinner leather on the upper and these are genuinely a pretty comfortable pair of sneakers.
If I was going to be helping a friend move these wouldn’t be the pair I reach for, but I would happily wear them all day at the office.
Materials & Construction
Materials
Like many online retailers, Beckett Simonon provides information for their materials directly on their website, which is great.
For the upper, the Morgen Trainer uses calf skin leather and cow suede. While the leather feels great, it is thin. I imagine this is a trade off for more comfort, but even with the lining it’s about as thick as similar style sneakers. I don’t think this will cause any durability issues, though you might see more dramatic creasing long-term.
Speaking of the lining, here they used Vachetta leather. Again, it’s a bit thin, but it feels great. It’s got a slight velour feel to it that makes them feel very premium on foot.
Around the heel and throughout the tongue, there is a leather of foam. The foam feels great, though is more likely to help the shoe keep its structure than provide stability.
Under your foot, topped with a leather lining, the insole is made of a very nice closed cell foam. I can’t put my finger on exactly what type of foam it is – it feels like something in between EVA and PU – but there is literally nothing to complain about. If they made it any thicker it’d ruin the design, any thinner and it’d ruin the comfort.
Strangely, they say absolutely nothing about this insole on the website alongside the other materials. I don’t know why, it’s great, especially given the price point of these sneakers.
Finishing off the sneaker itself, the outsole is a mix of natural and vulcanized rubber. I’d say the rubber compound is right down the middle on the hardness / squish scale. It won’t be the longest lasting outsole out there, but it won’t be the shortest either.
Construction
These sneakers are made in Columbia using cemented construction. To make a sneaker this way, first the upper is sewn together. Then the upper is glued directly to the insole.
This is, by far, the most common way to make a sneaker. It offers a high level of flexibility and weather resistance, and is more affordable to boot. On the other hand, this style of construction is extremely hard to resole. Once the outsole on these are cooked, so is the sneaker.
As for the factory, Beckett Simonon shares a bunch of facts about the factory. Everything from the hours they work, the benefits, the auditing for safety, and more. Personally, I’d love to see them post the third-party inspections so that nerds like me can dive in deep, but I understand they probably don’t want to share the address.
How Much do the Beckett Simonon Morgen Trainers Cost?
Beckett Simonon prices the Morgen Trainers at $179. Or $270? Or less?
Here is really my only big gripe with the sneakers. They list the retail at $270, then immediately discount them to $179. If it’s your first order, you’ll probably be offered a code for a bigger discount. In reality, you’ll probably pay somewhere around $160-165 for your pair outside of the big sale weekends.
The frustration comes with the fact that $160 is a pretty fair price. There is no need to try and show a higher number to make $160 feel reasonable. At the price point they trade for, they are 20% less than similar brands like Oliver Cabell, and 40% less than brands like Koio.
Are the Beckett Simonon Morgen Trainers Worth It?
Let’s go back to the question at the top. Should you trust those reviews of Beckett Simonon? At least for the sneakers?
While I can’t speak to other reviewer’s process, I can honestly say that if you’re looking for a pair of GATs, there is a lot to like here. The sneakers have good materials, a surprisingly comfortable shape and construction, and come with enough extras that they feel special during the unboxing. Some might view the wait to get the pair as a major drawback, but Beckett Simonon’s communication makes the experience better than brands that cost 4x as much.
Are these a direct replacement for the guy looking for a pair of Maison Margiela GATs? Of course not. Those are now $800 sneakers. However, that these do a few things better than those is a real testament to these sneakers.
The only real complaint I have is the “always on sale” pricing structure. It’s frustrating because I bet there are people who lose trust in the brand because of it. People who shouldn’t have.
Don’t buy these sneakers because you feel like you have to because they are a certain percentage off. Buy them because they are a good sneaker at a good price.