Barding Stitches, pros and cons?

[Bober]

So I was looking at a barding for our new "serpent-like" creature; the barding stitches seems to be the only kind of armor we can put on it, but I'm not sure it's worth taking it.

You get -2 STR and DEX based skills, and -2 to Fortitude and Reflex saves, plus saves against effects wit the pain descriptor. But what do you get in return? I couldn't find anywhere if you can add any kind of armor (even heavy ones) with it, or if you are bound to light stuff.. What do you guys think?

For those who don't know what it is, here's the description:

"This thin, specially treated wire can be used to attach barding to creatures whose body types cannot normally accommodate armor, such as piscine, serpentine, and verminous animals, by delicately and thoroughly sewing the equipment directly to the creature's flesh. Equipping a creature with barding using barding stitches takes 10 times as long as normal barding, and a successful DC 25 Heal check is required to attach or remove the stitches. The creature must be helpless or willing to be equipped with barding stitches, and must have at least a +1 natural armor bonus to AC. An armored creature with barding stitches takes a -2 penalty on Strength- and Dexterity-based skill checks (in addition to any penalties from the barding itself), Fortitude and Reflex saves, and saves against effects with the pain descriptor (these penalties stack). These penalties persist for as long as the creature is equipped with barding stitches."

[Claxon]

Barding Stitches just let you equip barding on creatures that normally can't equip it.

You have to look at the armor table to figure out what barding gives you, it has the same stats as normal armor except for cost and weight.

The barding stitches merely give an extra -2 penalty to dex and strength based skills, and a -2 penalty on saves against spells with the pain descriptor. The penalties really aren't that bad for being able to add armor to creatures that normally can't have armor.

Although you probably only want light armor or mithral medium armor as barding so their speed isn't reduced and so they don't have to deal with being fatigued by sleeping in armor heavier than light armor.