The images don't seem to be a sequence. And there's clearly no spike on the bottom of the shield in the last picture, so it must be inside the top dwarf's chest.
I'd think it would depend on the frequency of interactions. Leg and foot protection would add weight, so unless the dwarves were expected they might not want to bear the extra burden.
On that note, Lord of the Rings extended editions have been showing in theaters the last couple weekends. I kept thinking how prior to battles the fighters were all geared up and marched for days (or longer) and showed up throwing themselves straight into battle. Here I am not functioning as my soft ass finishes my coffee in bed, trying to negotiate when I need to actually start getting ready for work.
When I was in the Army we always trained in full combat gear. That gets you used to wearing it so the extra weight isn't noticeable, and it gets you so familiar with it that it becomes an extension of yourself. I imagine knights of Middle Earth used a similar philosophy. Plus, they were expecting worg attacks on the road and needed to be prepared. They did in-fact face worg attacks, so it's a good thing they were prepared.
Those 3 consist of an immortal elf, a dwarf who are known for their endurance yet complained the whole trip anyways, and an 85 year old Dúnedain, a race of men descended from the Númenóreans, who are known for their longevity and noble lineage. So they're not exactly common foot soldiers.
There's a whole scene where they mutiny against their leader because they're starving and dog tired. They want to eat the hobbits, and the only thing that stopped them was one of them getting beheaded for mutiny, and then getting decimated by a squadron of Rohan horsemen. I love that they took the time to include that, since it makes it more believable. The Uruk-hai were pushed to their absolute limits and then beyond, and they snapped, just like men would.
