Cotopaxi Teca Calido Hooded - Women's Review

The Cotopaxi Teca Calido is a midweight jacket with a relaxed-fit hood and a short, boxy, almost-oversized fit. Its exterior is made of repurposed polyester taffeta with an elastic, nonadjustable hem. It's reversible and features a whopping seven pockets — two zippered hand pockets on one side and two open hand pockets, two drop-in pockets, and one zippered chest pocket on the other side. It packs into its own chest pocket.

Performance Comparison

Warmth

The Teca Calido is thicker than most of the other jackets we tested, providing reasonable warmth. However, its less technical cut and fit leave lots of areas exposed to the cold. Most notably, the elastic hem is quite loose and not snug. Depending on your body shape, this can leave plenty of room for gusts to swirl right up inside the jacket. The cuffs are similarly loose, though the sleeves are a touch long, helping them to better seal by falling against the tops of your hands. As a reversible jacket, the main zipper has no wind guard and is a weak point against the cold. The hood is loosely fitted, and it's harder to layer a protective shell overtop of this oversized puffy jacket.

Comfort

The material of the Teca Calido is slightly stiffer than the rest of the insulated jackets we tested, and the elastic material forming the cuffs, hem, and hood rim isn't as soft. Our testing team found there's not a lot of spare room across the shoulders for movement, further solidifying this coat's place as a casual, non-technical layer. We love that the Calido is reversible, giving us more style options than any other jacket. It also has a ton of pockets — seven, to be precise. Two zippered hand pockets adorn one side, while the other side features a zippered chest pocket, two open hand pockets, and two open-top slip pockets.

Weather Resistance

Up against water, the baffle-free Calido does a great job keeping us dry. Against the wind, however, it has many weak points. The lack of a wind guard on the main zipper is a big one. The overall looser fit and lack of adjustability leave lots of areas around the hem, cuffs, and hood for breezes to blow in.

Weight and Compressibility

The size Small Teca Calido we tested weighs 11.5 ounces, putting it around average weight among our lineup. It stuffs into its own chest pocket and has a carabiner loop for easy clipping. The opening of this pocket is plenty big enough to get the jacket inside, but the pocket ends up slightly overstuffed, requiring plenty of squeezing to get the zipper closed.

Breathability

With such weather-resistant fabric and poofier insulation than most, the Teca isn't a particularly breathable jacket. Because it's reversible, all the pockets are insulated as well, eliminating their ability to add ventilation. The only way to let this puffy jacket breathe is to unzip it.

Should You Buy the Cotopaxi Teca Calido?

The Calido is a non-technical jacket that offers a unique style and a lot of pockets at a fairly affordable cost. If you're after a coat your shoulders can move in, one you can layer a shell over, or a wind resistant model, even the offsetting low cost of the Teca Calido is likely to leave you disappointed.

What Other Insulated Jackets Should You Consider?

The Teca Calido is a thicker puffy jacket that offers the wearer two styles in one, with its reversible nature and unique cut. If you're seeking the versatility of style that this boxy coat provides, no other model that we tested can quite match its vibe. But if you want a better performance from your jacket without paying that much more, the Rab Xenon 2.0 is our favorite option. If you're looking for exceptional warmth on a modest budget, the Columbia Heavenly Hoody is the same price but far warmer.