ProView – Cotopaxi Women’s Fuego Down Jacket

When I pulled this jacket out of the box, the first things I noticed were the fun color scheme Cotopaxi is known for and how soft it is. I usually associate down jackets with slippery material and the “swishy” noise that wind pants make, but the Fuego is buttery soft. A friend also noticed, saying “Wow! Your jacket is so quiet! My biggest complaint about my down jacket is that it’s so noisy.” 

Design Features:

Two internal pockets: One of my biggest complaints with a lot of jackets is that there aren’t enough pockets. Cotopaxi included two on the inside left of the Fuego: one zippered and one open-topped pocket so you can safely (and warmly) stash your keys, phone, sunglasses, or even goggles.

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While the jacket comes with a stuff sack, I also found that the larger interior pocket was just large enough for me to fold the whole jacket into itself to throw in my pack.

Silver, high-quality YKK zipper on the front to add another bump to its look with the color scheme, and, I haven’t had any issues with it snagging.

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Finally, I was really pleased with how thin/low profile the Fuego looks. With high-quality 800Fill Goose Down, Cotopaxi packed a lot of warmth without the bulk. My only complaint is that the “athletic fit” feels extra boxy at the hips and while the sleeves were okay on my arms most of the time when pulling skins off or reaching for things in my pack my wrists were totally exposed. A tiny bit more tapering and a little added length in the sleeves would have improved this a lot for me, but otherwise, the jacket fit well through the torso and shoulders. Cotopaxi notes on its website that wearers may want to size up because of the athletic fit, so that could have made the sleeves longer, however, would have made the waist/hips too large on me.

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Performance Outside

I took this jacket on evening spring backcountry ski laps, on hikes up 13- and 14,000 foot peaks, and on a river trip for hanging out at camp in the evening. The Fuego jacket performed well in each of these scenarios and I was impressed with its windproofness on high peaks, coziness for just hanging out around a campfire, and comfort in a range of temperatures and conditions. 

The durability is also impressive — I shoved it in and out of my pack frequently and pulled my skins off my skis several times (hello, sharp edges!) and never worried about ripping the fabric. No feathers have popped out, either. I also used the scuba hood in each of these scenarios and love the added protection from wind or cold without having to worry about the hood being blown off my head.

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The Final Word

I would recommend this jacket to those wanting something that can perform during a variety of adventures and also be used for everyday wear year round when temps drop. Some minor tweaks to the sleeve length and boxiness at the hips and a slightly bigger internal pocket to pack itself into would be nice improvements. But as is, the Cotopaxi Fuego is a solid hooded down jacket made by a company committed to best practices for sustainability and ethics.

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