Gear Loops
The Sama has two rigid gear loops in the front and two flexible ones in the back. Petzl asserts that having the rigid loops in the front lets you access gear quickly and easily, while the flexible loops in the back lay flat so they don’t interfere with a backpack.
I’ve noticed that the Sama is comfortable to wear with a backpack and that the rear gear loops do not create any pressure points.
But although Petzl claims these four gear loops provide enough space to rack anything from a set of quickdraws to a standard trad rack, I’ve found grabbing quickdraws off the rear loops while on lead is more difficult than off either the Sama’s rigid front gear loops or the Momentum 3S’s rigid rear gear loops.
I don’t trad climb, but I imagine not having rigid gear loops in the rear could be an issue on longer pitches that require a full rack. That said, this hasn’t been an issue for me—I’ve been able to rack enough quickdraws for all but the longest pitches on the front two rigid loops.
Buckles
The Sama only has one buckle for adjusting the waist belt. The buckle is a DoubleBack Light that allows for quick and easy adjustment of the waist belt.
This DoubleBack Light design doesn’t need to be doubled back. This is an extremely nice feature since it eliminates one potentially lethal mistake a climber can make—forgetting to double back the buckles on a conventional buckle design.
Durability
While I have only been climbing in the Sama for a couple of months and cannot speak to its long-term durability, I haven’t noticed any signs of wear. Petzl reinforced the tie-in points on the Sama with Dyneema to protect against abrasions from rope friction—a good idea, I think, since tie-in points are one of the highest wear areas on a harness.
Drawbacks?
In my mind, the Sama excels as a sport climbing specific tool. As a result, it’s not very versatile and is not ideal for other climbing disciplines.
While Petzl claims it can handle a full trad rack, trad climbers would probably be happier having four rigid gear loops.
And while alpine climbers and mountaineers would appreciate the Sama’s comfort and freedom of movement, I think they’d prefer a harness similar to the Adjama or Momentum 3S that has adjustable leg loops.
Bottom Line
The Sama is a specialized sport climbing tool that will provide climbers with a high level of comfort and freedom of movement. While climbers who practice a wide variety of disciplines might look for a more versatile harness for their one-harness quiver, intermediate and expert climbers looking for a sport climbing specific harness that can stand up to the abuse of red pointing should definitely check out this product.
The unique waist belt design and elastic leg loops create a sport climbing harness that achieves what is in my mind a perfect balance between comfort and performance.
moooooooooooooooooooooooooommmmmmmmmms