How I use it
During the first three years of climbing the Sama was the harness I used for everything:

Top left: Ridge Scrambling in Calpe, Top right: High in the Austrian Alps, Bottom left: Leading a sport route, Bottom right: Cruxing on a multi pitch in mainland Spain.
  • Sport climbing: It is light enough to not get in the way and the gear loops are very accessible (and plenty spacious).
  • Multi pitch and alpine climbing: It might not be suitable for big walling but even in hanging belays the Sama is comfortable. The four gear loops are full size and with the addition of a haul loop in the back I never ran out of space.
  • Via Ferrata: Again the weight and packsize makes it a good option even with long approaches and being carried in a pack.
  • Mountaineering and glacier travel: For me the size adjustment is variable enough to wear the harness even with several layers under it (or with no layers in hot sport climbing conditions) and the lack of dedicated ice screw holders never bothered me.

Even though I have specific harnesses for sport climbing and mountaineering now the Petzl Sama is still the one I bring for trips where I might encounter different play styles of climbing - and it is still my dedicated multi pitch harness.  

Construction and Quality
With its very subtle gray color the whole design is very workman-like. The padding on the back and the leg loops is quite comfortable and very sturdy.

Overall the harness weighs in at about 400 grams.

The Sama does have fixed leg loops and a single buckle to open and close it. However it comes in four sizes (S to XL) for the Sama and adds XS for the Selena (which is the female version).

I noticed that the padding does take some time to dry if it is seriously wet - which might be an issue in snowy conditions.

In terms of wear and tear: After three years of heavy use over all disciplines the material covering one of the rope attachment points has worn through and a red “please replace me” marker has appeared. However none of the actual material of the loop is worn - so the harness is still good (non the less I did replace it with a new Sama).  

Price (and is it worth it)
The list price of the harness is 80 Euro or 85 Dollars but you can find it online for as low as 50 Euro and for 60 Euro easily. The performance and utility combined with such a reasonable price makes buying it a no brainer.