User blog comment:XvLIGHTNINGvx/Skyrim's Weapons Will Not Degrade Over Time/@comment-4317122-20110829035848

This makes sense to me. I am just guessing at what the developers might have been thinking, but with Skyrim's new Smithing skill that utilizes a smithy, it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to carry a portable forge and anvil around with you to repair your armor anymore. Of course, you might be able to do repairs at the smithy, but then you’re stuck with bad weapons/armor till you get back to town. Much simpler to just take it out. As far as realism, yes weapon/armor degradation is sort of realistic, but is carrying a hammer around with you to repair it on the fly? So no big, but that’s just my opinion.