Of Hobbits and Boots

[Inziladun]

Originally Posted by Alfirin

Actually, while nothing is said, that point seems the most likey to assume that they do put on footwear for the simple reason orcs do and they are trying to pass for orcs as much as possible. They are already running a risk of being recognized due to having the wrong sort of faces and not exactly the right kind of build; being barefoot when they should be shod would draw addional attention (both from patrols who might get suspicios about why two individuals were running around Gorgoroth barefoot, and from random orcs who might see them as two recently robbed orcs and either try to come and see if they can help (assuming that some orcs have a cerain amount of camaradarie amongst each other, enough to help a fellow soldier in need when convenient) or more likely to see whats left to take from an easy mark.)

In that case, what would be the likelihood of Frodo and Sam coming across shoes or boots small enough to fit them? Orcs were generally smaller than Men, but not hobbit-sized. And outsized footwear is much more difficult to deal with than cloaks or tunics.