More about size of plant and it's rate of drinking... You'll get slightly more evaporation with a cloth pot, but it shouldn't be too signficant.
is it too fluffy/airy? You can go too far. High water capacity substrate only needs 50% perlite or similar. Coco only needs 33%. If you have too much, it increases frequency of fertigation unnecessarily. Well, not all the time.. it's a way to dial in frequent fertigation methods to ensure enough dryback can occur to warrant 3-4x/day fertigation.
I've never had an issue with water coming out the sides. If that's happening, water more slowly. Let it absorb without creating a pool of standing water on top. Next time tamp it down a bit more and that can help with even water absorption, too. When i fill my pots for a transplant, it's on the dry side so it's impossible to compress it. I just make sure there are no gaps and evenly tamped down. Water will take path of least resistance if it exists. A quick getaway out the side could be as simple as that... a crevice that exists or after the fact eroded to exist.
Also are you fully watering or just giving some volume you whimsically choose. Always ensure tthe entire volume is saturated. Dry pockets are the devil!