Engearment

Erin Trail

Initial Impressions

I literally did a happy dance when this arrived and I’ve been wearing it nearly non-stop since. 

The Cotopaxi Capa Hybrid Insulated Hooded Jacket is a great cool-season jacket that’s super comfy and looks good.

Detailed Review

This jacket is best described as a windproof vest with arms and a hood made from fleecy fabric. It’s soft and cozy and feels like a hug. 

I’ve worn this jacket all over the place. A concert at Red Rocks. A triathlon race-cation trip to Michigan in September. A late fall MTB camp in Snowmass, where mornings were in the 40s. A trip to Sedona, Flagstaff, the Grand Canyon and Moab.  And I wear it to the pool, to the store, to work… basically I wear this everywhere. 

Technical Details

The core of the Capa Hybrid Insulated Hooded Jacket has Recycled PrimaLoft® Gold P.U.R.E. Insulation, keeping your core warm and wind blocked while feeling light and flexible.  The arms and hood are made from a waffle-like fleecy knit fabric.  The sleeves have thumb holes and allows the wearer a large range of motion for movement. The sleeves are NOT windproof, though, and if it’s cold wind, this jacket won’t be warm enough on it’s own.  The jacket also isn’t water resistant, so it’s not suitable for moments where moisture is falling from the sky.  This jacket, though, does make a GREAT baselayer under windproof and/or water-resistant shells, as it’s light and flexible. It serves as a great mid-layer because it’s not bulky but is also warm and breathable. 

Garment Care

The Cotopaxi Capa jacket operates more like a fleece mid-layer than a jacket. I wore this jacket A LOT over my 9 day trip to Sedona, but it didn’t look like it had been worn a ton.  When I got home, I washed it in accordance with Cotopaxi’s instructions (gentle, cold water, air dry).  I was impressed that the fill inside the insulated vest area of the jacket stayed put, with no clumping and no filling popping out of the stitch holes. The jacket also air dried super fast, in less than an hour outside on a 70 degree fall day.  Additionally, there was no evidence of wear or pilling on the fleece sleeves.

Wearability

This jacket is great as a shoulder season (or warmer winter day… or colder summer night).  For me, the sweet spot for this jacket is where temps are 40-60 degrees, and when I’ve got either a short sleeve shirt or light long sleeve shirt on. Due to the fleecy arm sleeve fabric, the sleeves do tend to grab onto the fabric of whatever else you’re wearing when you put it on. Easy work-around is just holding onto the hem of your shirt sleeve while you put the Capa jacket on.  Once on, everything stays where it should.

I found the hood it be a bit on the silly side, until I wore it with a beanie.  I have a smaller head, and the scuba hood is just too big.  When the hood is on, the top of the zippered collar hits me in the mouth and the hood hits me across the eyes (or flops around).  We were camping outside of Moab and I had a beanie on and decided that I also wanted to keep my neck warm, so I raised the hood up and like magic, the hood fit me perfectly. 

The Capa comes with 3 pockets. There are zippered exterior pockets for your hands that are plenty big enough to hold your phone or wallet (or both), while having a natural feeling hand entry. There’s one chest-level interior zippered pocket that extends almost down to the hand pocket.  The interior pocket is almost too big.  After my gravel triathlon in Michigan, we went brewery hopping and I brought my podium medal with me for photos. The medal is pretty beefy, about 3 inches in diameter. I put it inside the interior pocket for safe keeping, and I had to do an awkward-looking mid-arm deep dive into the chest of my jacket whenever I wanted to retrieve it.  If you like this pocket for smaller items, like credit cards lip balm, be prepared to dig to get them back out. 

The main thing to consider with this jacket is that it is neither windproof nor water resistant, because the sleeves are a thinner fleece material. On the flip side, this makes this jacket very breathable when doing more active things, like hiking, cycling, or running. Because of the compact and flexible nature of the jacket materials, it also makes a GREAT mid-layer under more weatherproof shell jackets.  It’s also easy to stash into a gear bag or hydration pack to bring with you on your adventures. 

Overall Impression

Right now, this is my favorite jacket in my fleet of jackets.  I’m even grabbing it over my collection of Ironman finisher jackets. It’s got the Cotopaxi cool vibe while also being comfortable and functional. This jacket is best for shoulder season, or times where temperatures are between 40-60 degrees.  If it’s windy or rainy, you’ll need to either use the Capa as a mid-layer or grab a different jacket, as it does not do well with either of these conditions. This jacket packs down well, travels well, and is a great choice for a variety of situations. I enjoy wearing this for more mundane “life” happenings like going to the store or work as well as when sitting on brewery patios, hiking, or going to concerts.  

Erin Trail