I think the title is clear, but what I'm asking:

Does anyone know if our followers will continue to wear/equip the gear we trade to them after we dismiss them, they return to (or stay in if dismissed in) their cell/origin and we leave and return?

Wow, that question is confusing to me even.

Basically: do they keep wearing the s*** we give 'em after we leave?

If you give them some sort of armour, that is a higher tier than their current, then they will use it. If you take it away, they will revert to their default armour. They will always wear the highest tier though, keep that in mind.

Before patch 1.4 I gave Jordis a full set Steel Plate armor to replace her Steel armor, dismissed her, and now she's at Proudspire Manor wearing her regular Steel.. haven't messed with her (giggity) since the patch was installed though.

The problem is/was before 1.4 they would always revert back to their default gear a little while after you dismissed them. They would keep the better stuff in their inventory, but you had to take it back and re-trade it to them for them to equip it and then they would again revert back to their default after you dismissed them (on PS3 anyway). I'm hoping 1.4 fixed this and that they would always stay in the stuff you traded to them. The only exception I found was that Mjoll kept the Legendary Dwarven Great Axe equipped that I had given her.

If no one knows for sure I'll just test it out myself - I have plenty of mats and skill to make waayyy better stuff than they wear by default...I was just hoping someone knew for sure.

I had Faendal revert back to his normal gear after dismissing him. I doubt it was fixed with any followers and i doubt it ever will be. I for one would rather them concentrate on other problems that really effect gameplay. I also noticed it would be silly if some of these npcs kept wearing the stuff i gave them after they returned to their normal, sometimes blue collar lives. Faendal chops wood all day and im sure some of these other followers just hangaround doing similar stuff.

They put their crappy default armor back on, just like always.

It's a real easy fix code-wise, but, of course, I'd rather they fix real problems. I'm not losing sleep over it - I just wish they would wear the cooler stuff I can make and give them.

Many followers wear their armor all day (housecarls, et al) and even sleep in it (Mjoll). I just feel that as Dragonborn and baddest character in Skyrim our followers shouldn't be wearing rusted iron armor if we give them Daedric. Represent!


Edit:
Damn it.

As long as they wear the stuff while following is whats most important. I just simply take equipment away then give it back after i re-recruit them. Id really like to see a fix that involves followers using better bows and mage followers not whipping out a bow that they never use... Just seems silly when i go to college of winterhold and my mage followers permanently have bows on their back

Yeah, kinda ticks me off. I would like to set all my Housecarls up with tricked out gear but it's pointless.

My followers wont wear almost nothing i give them, only helmets.