Orc haute couture

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

I think the "environmental protection" is an argument, even in the general sense that some clothing is better than no clothing when it comes to protection even from, say, thorny bushes. And the psychological effect, like what Zil said... and as it was also mentioned, at least since the invention of armor the clothes were a necessity. You can't really wear an armor on bare body (or you can, but that will effectively kill you).

Also, clothes can serve as distinguishing marks - "we are Cool Clan XY, wearing the symbol of a dragon on our chest", stuff like that. Also "I am the chieftain, I can wear the coolest and most intimidating armor of all; Elves, fear me; yes, it was me who killed your grandfather, surely you have heard the tales about the big Orc clad in big black-and-red-striped cloak, mwahaha".

And in the battle, generally, clothes also can be important for distinction, if they have the coat of arms (although everyone will most likely know which side the Orcs fight on, even without the coat of arms - but maybe when it comes to clash between two different Orc tribes... think of Gorbag's Dead-moon-symbol Morgul Orcs and Shagrat's Red Eye Orcs of Cirith Ungol).

EDIT: x-ed with Zil and alatar

[Morthoron]

Originally Posted by Legate of Amon Lanc

Also, clothes can serve as distinguishing marks - "we are Cool Clan XY, wearing the symbol of a dragon on our chest", stuff like that. Also "I am the chieftain, I can wear the coolest and most intimidating armor of all; Elves, fear me; yes, it was me who killed your grandfather, surely you have heard the tales about the big Orc clad in big black-and-red-striped cloak, mwahaha".

Hmmm...sort of like Crips and Bloods, Orkish style.

[Inziladun]

Originally Posted by Morthoron

Hmmm...sort of like Crips and Bloods, Orkish style.

The argument of unit pride does make sense.
I can also see the need for specialized clothing for differently tasked Orcs. I'd think thick pants would be a necessity for a Warg-rider, for example.

[Galadriel55]

If an orc doesn't wear clothes, but runs around Mordor all day in his armour, what's the likelyhood of him catching a fatal infection?

Um... do orcs even have anything they could call "infection" from their point of view?

[Inziladun]

Originally Posted by Galadriel55

If an orc doesn't wear clothes, but runs around Mordor all day in his armour, what's the likelyhood of him catching a fatal infection?

Or some hot embers from Mt. Doom? That could have an effect on morale.

x/d with Morthoron

[Galadriel55]

Originally Posted by Inziladun

Or some hot embers from Mt. Doom? That could have an effect on morale.

After you've sat once on one of the red-hot stones without pants on, you learn the lesson.

[Alfirin]

What I never quite figured out was why orcs needed shoes (aragon ad co find one as part of the detritus trail left by the och who caputed Merry and Pippin. Given how thick orchish hide was I always imagined thier feet were fairly hard and horny, and pretty resistant to damage. Indeed I've alays assumed the shoe/boot wearing was for armed orcs in the Mordor Forces, "wild orch" (like the ones in the Misty mountains) likey did go barefoot (if only because being barefoot would likey give them better traction on the loose stones they would have to deal with in the mountains. Also does this mean that frodo and Sam had to find orchish boots to disguise themselves. Actually now that I think of it (Frodo and Sam may have had boots already) (Bilbo was given a pair of boots in Rivindell in the Hoobit (I was in a note to one of the illustrations Tolkein did) so Frodo and Co likey would have had the same courtesy extended to them).

[Galadriel]

Originally Posted by Galadriel55

After you've sat once on one of the red-hot stones without pants on, you learn the lesson.

But...wouldn't red-hot stones burn through your pants anyway?