this is probbably a long dead horse, but I just came across it recently:
according to the armor description, armor for small creatures weighs 1/2 of that for medium creatures (double for Large)
the clothing description in the equipment section has the factor for the clothing kits at 1/4
a*a=A
0,5a*0,5a=0,25A
with the same thickness of material this results in a quarter the weight
so if half the weight is supposed to be the rule it would mean double the thickness of medium armor for small creatures armor
by the same logic the armor would get thinner for larger than Medium creatures with the current set of rules
what is the story behind this?
is it just sloppy math by the designers and lazy reviewers along the editions?
Most probable explanation: Balance
Sloppily applied logic after the fact by me: Smaller creatures vital organs will be physically closer to the surfaces of their body, and weaker/thinner bones structures (duh).
So perhaps it is more necessary for them to have thicker armor.
Though to be honest, thicker armor should provide a much higher arcane spell failure chance.
Most probable explanation: Balance
well, a small character already gets out tops, because most gear is 1/2 weight(or even 1/4) and they can carry 3/4 of the Medium list
so if the fear was Balance (can carry too much stuff) they could have put the carry capacity to 1/2