What I'm saying is that Tacitus tells us the above. It's not my theory and I don't belive everything he wrote down. But alas I have yet to find evidence of idle/industrious Warriors so I just point to Tacitus :)

When, as you say, war was omnipresent then Tacitus assesment may aswell be correct. just that they just were as idle as anyone else when one has a break from work. They simply had no time/capacities for other work.