Findable treasure question (Armor of elemental air)

There's a certain "armor of elemental air" that could be found on a certain mountainside.  Very nice find.  However, it doesn't seem to be findable anymore... sort of....

Was it changed to be found via a search trigger rather than just laying out in the open a it used to be?

And if so.... any particular reason why my ranger/rogue Arizona, with 70+ search and something like 50+ spot cannot find it, however her dire wolf companion with not even half those skills does?

He finds it and it goes into his inventory.... and the only reason I know this is because shortly after searching around that certain mountainside, I went off to another area where the direwolf got killed... and left remains with the armor inside.  I repeated the process the next reset, same result.... Arizona couldn't find the armor, but it would pop up in the wolf's remains if he died after visiting the area with her.

I'm now wondering if Arizona's not fining other particular items I know are found via a search trigger because they're going instead into her direwolf's inventory where they are unaccessable unless I kill him intentionally after hitting those triggers.

I used to have the same exact problem with the Dragon eggs. PC couldn't trigger the find, but a familiar/companion could. But, only on certain PCs. Others were fine.

Have you looked for the armor with another PC recently?

Manny and I actually looked for it together, the last time. He had his companion out, I had my familiar. ... Oh, do you mean with another of his PCs?

I went through there with another PC as well last week.  No familiars/companions.  It was close to auto-reset, so I don't know I just didn't trip the trigger if there is one (that PC also had insane perception skills) or if someone had already come through and grabbed it if it is still a placed item.

I have never been able to trigger that armor with any of my PCs. Only reason I know it exists is because I heard of it from Drgnwlkr.

SPOILER:





I put on autocollect and it appeared in my inventory............

Did you have a familiar or animal companion out at the time?

My characters all use the collect option as well, but never get the armor unless it pops into the familiar/companion's inventory and I nuke the familiar/companion to loot them

No, was just me out on a walkabout, and it showed up.