Maybe if you were a ‘real mountain biker’ you’d understand the need for normal shorts (and a Camelbak). It can get pretty cold up on an actual mountain so you need some spare clothes, you can be in remote places so you might need spares/tools/first aid kit, and you might be riding difficult, steep, rocky trails where you might want pads/baggies (especially if you like to ride rather than just walking down tech sections).
Spare clothes and bits yep, can understand that, makes sense. Pads and baggies? Nah, you’re alright!
Let’s be honest though, most people aren’t talking about mountains, and most people don’t ride on mountains, most people are, at best, riding trail centre-esque trails, be them actually at a trail centre, or in the ‘wilderness’, and people make a judgment based on their feelings about armour.
Were I wearing armour, I’d probably go for baggies too, but that’s well out of my comfort zone!
Not too sure where the stuff about my walking down tech sections comes from, just because I engage in the (numerous recent) debates about XC racing. I’m not one for walking down (or up) things unnecessarily at all, what’s the point? Where’s the fun!? I can’t remember the last thing I did walk down whilst riding. Doesn’t mean I deem armour necessary for my riding though. Plenty of people do, which is fine. Maybe I just don’t plan to crash, it’s not like armour helps until you do 🙂