Pteruges Thickness

[czaczaja]

I am currently making my own leather spolas and have a question on pretuges.

I will be making them separately as a kind of a 'belt' and will sew them onto the spolas later and was wondering does their thickness have to be the same as the spolas (~15mm) or is it ok to have them thinner at just one 5mm(11-13oz) layer?

Were they really effective for lower torso protection(would explain the extra thickness) or a mix of defence and looks?

[Zephyrides]

I am currently making my own leather spolas and have a question on pretuges.

I will be making them separately as a kind of a 'belt' and will sew them onto the spolas later and was wondering does their thickness have to be the same as the spolas (~15mm) or is it ok to have them thinner at just one 5mm(11-13oz) layer?

Were they really effective for lower torso protection(would explain the extra thickness) or a mix of defence and looks?

Not sure what the "right" way is (if there even is a right way), but from my own experience, my longer, thicker pteruges can be a pain.
I used 1 layer of thick leather, and, having committed the faux pas of using chrome tanned leather to avoid dying anything, placed a thin piece of leather on each side and attached the white lining with stitching, stiffening them further. They do protect my upper legs, but it makes the armor needlessly heavy and somewhat difficult to sit, lean, crouch, etc. (how important is that in hoplite warfare, really  ). While I haven't run flat out in my armor yet, I imagine the longer pteruges would hinder me somewhat 

Next time, I will probably use the same thick leather, but allow greater flexibility by not stitching the lining along each side and by simply dying the leather. I would also take greater pains to ensure they fit at the right point of my body (waist to "junk")
Basically, I would find the balance of protection and being able to move relatively freely/well by not making them too thick/rigid and not too long.  

This is the guide I used that proved very helpful: http://www.thehoplites.com/the-goat-s-pen--page-3.html
He recommends attaching the pteruges not as a continuous belt, but in pieces to the front, sides, and back. Additionally, to get the proportions correct for looks, and presumably, ease of movement. 
Sorry that was kind of a long ramble and did not address your question directly, but hope it helps!

[czaczaja]

Not sure what the "right" way is (if there even is a right way), but from my own experience, my longer, thicker pteruges can be a pain.
I used 1 layer of thick leather, and, having committed the faux pas of using chrome tanned leather to avoid dying anything, placed a thin piece of leather on each side and attached the white lining with stitching, stiffening them further. They do protect my upper legs, but it makes the armor needlessly heavy and somewhat difficult to sit, lean, crouch, etc. (how important is that in hoplite warfare, really  ). While I haven't run flat out in my armor yet, I imagine the longer pteruges would hinder me somewhat 

Next time, I will probably use the same thick leather, but allow greater flexibility by not stitching the lining along each side and by simply dying the leather. I would also take greater pains to ensure they fit at the right point of my body (waist to "junk")
Basically, I would find the balance of protection and being able to move relatively freely/well by not making them too thick/rigid and not too long.  

This is the guide I used that proved very helpful: http://www.thehoplites.com/the-goat-s-pen--page-3.html
He recommends attaching the pteruges not as a continuous belt, but in pieces to the front, sides, and back. Additionally, to get the proportions correct for looks, and presumably, ease of movement. 
Sorry that was kind of a long ramble and did not address your question directly, but hope it helps!

Thanks for sharing your experiences in practice! By putting them on as a 'belt' I was planning on splitting the pretuges into 4 parts like you said as opposed to attaching them one-by-one.

I am also unsure of the 'correct' way since very little organic remnants have remained to make the case so I could let my imagination and creativity wander a bit, but then again I might be completely wrong!

I'm also unsure as to the overall shape or 'flow' of the pteruges. I was planning on having them go a bit lower in the front than on the sides and back just for some aesthetic touch but this might be seen as barbaric and inapropriate among the historians

But then again, all soldiers put their own touch to their panoplies so this might have been plausible?