diff --git a/utils/zerovec/src/cow.rs b/utils/zerovec/src/cow.rs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..b1dcc8c36b3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/utils/zerovec/src/cow.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,351 @@
+// This file is part of ICU4X. For terms of use, please see the file
+// called LICENSE at the top level of the ICU4X source tree
+// (online at: https://github.com/unicode-org/icu4x/blob/main/LICENSE ).
+
+use crate::ule::{EncodeAsVarULE, UleError, VarULE};
+use alloc::boxed::Box;
+use core::fmt;
+use core::marker::PhantomData;
+use core::mem::ManuallyDrop;
+use core::ops::Deref;
+use core::ptr::NonNull;
+use zerofrom::ZeroFrom;
+
+/// Copy-on-write type that efficiently represents [`VarULE`] types as their bitstream representation.
+///
+/// The primary use case for [`VarULE`] types is the ability to store complex variable-length datastructures
+/// inside variable-length collections like [`crate::VarZeroVec`].
+///
+/// Underlying this ability is the fact that [`VarULE`] types can be efficiently represented as a flat
+/// bytestream.
+///
+/// In zero-copy cases, sometimes one wishes to unconditionally use this bytestream representation, for example
+/// to save stack size. A struct with five `Cow<'a, str>`s is not as stack-efficient as a single `Cow` containing
+/// the bytestream representation of, say, `Tuple5VarULE<str, str, str, str, str>`.
+///
+/// This type helps in this case: It is logically a `Cow<'a, V>`, with some optimizations, that is guaranteed
+/// to serialize as a byte stream in machine-readable scenarios.
+///
+/// During human-readable serialization, it will fall back to the serde impls on `V`, which ought to have
+/// a human-readable variant.
+pub struct VarZeroCow<'a, V: ?Sized> {
+    /// Pointer to data
+    ///
+    /// # Safety Invariants
+    ///
+    /// 1. This slice must always be valid as a byte slice
+    /// 2. This slice must represent a valid `V`
+    /// 3. If `owned` is true, this slice can be freed.
+    ///
+    /// The slice may NOT have the lifetime of `'a`.
+    buf: NonNull<[u8]>,
+    /// The buffer is `Box<[u8]>` if true
+    owned: bool,
+    _phantom: PhantomData<(&'a V, Box<V>)>,
+}
+
+// This is mostly just a `Cow<[u8]>`, safe to implement Send and Sync on
+unsafe impl<'a, V: ?Sized> Send for VarZeroCow<'a, V> {}
+unsafe impl<'a, V: ?Sized> Sync for VarZeroCow<'a, V> {}
+
+impl<'a, V: ?Sized> Clone for VarZeroCow<'a, V> {
+    fn clone(&self) -> Self {
+        if self.is_owned() {
+            // This clones the box
+            let b: Box<[u8]> = self.as_bytes().into();
+            let b = ManuallyDrop::new(b);
+            let buf: NonNull<[u8]> = (&**b).into();
+            Self {
+                // Invariants upheld:
+                // 1 & 2: The bytes came from `self` so they're a valid value and byte slice
+                // 3: This is owned (we cloned it), so we set owned to true.
+                buf,
+                owned: true,
+                _phantom: PhantomData,
+            }
+        } else {
+            // Unfortunately we can't just use `new_borrowed(self.deref())` since the lifetime is shorter
+            Self {
+                // Invariants upheld:
+                // 1 & 2: The bytes came from `self` so they're a valid value and byte slice
+                // 3: This is borrowed (we're sharing a borrow), so we set owned to false.
+                buf: self.buf,
+                owned: false,
+                _phantom: PhantomData,
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+impl<'a, V: ?Sized> Drop for VarZeroCow<'a, V> {
+    fn drop(&mut self) {
+        if self.owned {
+            unsafe {
+                // Safety: (Invariant 3 on buf)
+                // since owned is true, this is a valid Box<[u8]> and can be cleaned up
+                let _ = Box::<[u8]>::from_raw(self.buf.as_ptr());
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+impl<'a, V: VarULE + ?Sized> VarZeroCow<'a, V> {
+    /// Construct from a slice. Errors if the slice doesn't represent a valid `V`
+    pub fn parse_byte_slice(bytes: &'a [u8]) -> Result<Self, UleError> {
+        let val = V::parse_byte_slice(bytes)?;
+        Ok(Self::new_borrowed(val))
+    }
+
+    /// Construct from an owned slice. Errors if the slice doesn't represent a valid `V`
+    pub fn parse_owned_byte_slice(bytes: Box<[u8]>) -> Result<Self, UleError> {
+        V::validate_byte_slice(&bytes)?;
+        let bytes = ManuallyDrop::new(bytes);
+        let buf: NonNull<[u8]> = (&**bytes).into();
+        Ok(Self {
+            // Invariants upheld:
+            // 1 & 2: The bytes came from `val` so they're a valid value and byte slice
+            // 3: This is owned, so we set owned to true.
+            buf,
+            owned: true,
+            _phantom: PhantomData,
+        })
+    }
+
+    /// Construct from a slice that is known to represent a valid `V`
+    ///
+    /// # Safety
+    ///
+    /// `bytes` must be a valid `V`, i.e. it must successfully pass through
+    /// `V::parse_byte_slice()` or `V::validate_byte_slice()`.
+    pub const unsafe fn from_byte_slice_unchecked(bytes: &'a [u8]) -> Self {
+        unsafe {
+            // Safety: bytes is an &T which is always non-null
+            let buf: NonNull<[u8]> = NonNull::new_unchecked(bytes as *const [u8] as *mut [u8]);
+            Self {
+                // Invariants upheld:
+                // 1 & 2: Passed upstream to caller
+                // 3: This is borrowed, so we set owned to false.
+                buf,
+                owned: false,
+                _phantom: PhantomData,
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Construct this from an [`EncodeAsVarULE`] version of the contained type
+    ///
+    /// Will always construct an owned version
+    pub fn from_encodeable<E: EncodeAsVarULE<V>>(encodeable: &E) -> Self {
+        let b = crate::ule::encode_varule_to_box(encodeable);
+        Self::new_owned(b)
+    }
+
+    /// Construct a new borrowed version of this
+    pub fn new_borrowed(val: &'a V) -> Self {
+        unsafe {
+            // Safety: val is a valid V, by type
+            Self::from_byte_slice_unchecked(val.as_byte_slice())
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Construct a new borrowed version of this
+    pub fn new_owned(val: Box<V>) -> Self {
+        let val = ManuallyDrop::new(val);
+        let buf: NonNull<[u8]> = val.as_byte_slice().into();
+        Self {
+            // Invariants upheld:
+            // 1 & 2: The bytes came from `val` so they're a valid value and byte slice
+            // 3: This is owned, so we set owned to true.
+            buf,
+            owned: true,
+            _phantom: PhantomData,
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+impl<'a, V: ?Sized> VarZeroCow<'a, V> {
+    /// Whether or not this is owned
+    pub fn is_owned(&self) -> bool {
+        self.owned
+    }
+
+    /// Get the byte representation of this type
+    ///
+    /// Is also always a valid `V` and can be passed to
+    /// `V::from_byte_slice_unchecked()`
+    pub fn as_bytes(&self) -> &[u8] {
+        // Safety: Invariant 1 on self.buf
+        // The valid V invariant comes from Invariant 2
+        unsafe { self.buf.as_ref() }
+    }
+}
+
+impl<'a, V: VarULE + ?Sized> Deref for VarZeroCow<'a, V> {
+    type Target = V;
+    fn deref(&self) -> &V {
+        // Safety: From invariant 2 on self.buf
+        unsafe { V::from_byte_slice_unchecked(self.as_bytes()) }
+    }
+}
+
+impl<'a, V: VarULE + ?Sized> From<&'a V> for VarZeroCow<'a, V> {
+    fn from(other: &'a V) -> Self {
+        Self::new_borrowed(other)
+    }
+}
+
+impl<'a, V: VarULE + ?Sized> From<Box<V>> for VarZeroCow<'a, V> {
+    fn from(other: Box<V>) -> Self {
+        Self::new_owned(other)
+    }
+}
+
+impl<'a, V: VarULE + ?Sized + fmt::Debug> fmt::Debug for VarZeroCow<'a, V> {
+    fn fmt(&self, f: &mut fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> Result<(), fmt::Error> {
+        self.deref().fmt(f)
+    }
+}
+
+// We need manual impls since `#[derive()]` is disallowed on packed types
+impl<'a, V: VarULE + ?Sized + PartialEq> PartialEq for VarZeroCow<'a, V> {
+    fn eq(&self, other: &Self) -> bool {
+        self.deref().eq(other.deref())
+    }
+}
+
+impl<'a, V: VarULE + ?Sized + Eq> Eq for VarZeroCow<'a, V> {}
+
+impl<'a, V: VarULE + ?Sized + PartialOrd> PartialOrd for VarZeroCow<'a, V> {
+    fn partial_cmp(&self, other: &Self) -> Option<core::cmp::Ordering> {
+        self.deref().partial_cmp(other.deref())
+    }
+}
+
+impl<'a, V: VarULE + ?Sized + Ord> Ord for VarZeroCow<'a, V> {
+    fn cmp(&self, other: &Self) -> core::cmp::Ordering {
+        self.deref().cmp(other.deref())
+    }
+}
+
+// # Safety
+//
+// encode_var_ule_len: Produces the length of the contained bytes, which are known to be a valid V by invariant
+//
+// encode_var_ule_write: Writes the contained bytes, which are known to be a valid V by invariant
+unsafe impl<'a, V: VarULE + ?Sized> EncodeAsVarULE<V> for VarZeroCow<'a, V> {
+    fn encode_var_ule_as_slices<R>(&self, _: impl FnOnce(&[&[u8]]) -> R) -> R {
+        // unnecessary if the other two are implemented
+        unreachable!()
+    }
+
+    #[inline]
+    fn encode_var_ule_len(&self) -> usize {
+        self.as_bytes().len()
+    }
+
+    #[inline]
+    fn encode_var_ule_write(&self, dst: &mut [u8]) {
+        dst.copy_from_slice(self.as_bytes())
+    }
+}
+
+#[cfg(feature = "serde")]
+impl<'a, V: VarULE + ?Sized + serde::Serialize> serde::Serialize for VarZeroCow<'a, V> {
+    fn serialize<S>(&self, serializer: S) -> Result<S::Ok, S::Error>
+    where
+        S: serde::Serializer,
+    {
+        if serializer.is_human_readable() {
+            <V as serde::Serialize>::serialize(self.deref(), serializer)
+        } else {
+            serializer.serialize_bytes(self.as_bytes())
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+#[cfg(feature = "serde")]
+impl<'a, 'de: 'a, V: VarULE + ?Sized> serde::Deserialize<'de> for VarZeroCow<'a, V>
+where
+    Box<V>: serde::Deserialize<'de>,
+{
+    fn deserialize<Des>(deserializer: Des) -> Result<Self, Des::Error>
+    where
+        Des: serde::Deserializer<'de>,
+    {
+        if deserializer.is_human_readable() {
+            let b = Box::<V>::deserialize(deserializer)?;
+            Ok(Self::new_owned(b))
+        } else {
+            let bytes = <&[u8]>::deserialize(deserializer)?;
+            Self::parse_byte_slice(bytes).map_err(serde::de::Error::custom)
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+#[cfg(feature = "databake")]
+impl<'a, V: VarULE + ?Sized> databake::Bake for VarZeroCow<'a, V> {
+    fn bake(&self, env: &databake::CrateEnv) -> databake::TokenStream {
+        env.insert("zerovec");
+        let bytes = self.as_bytes().bake(env);
+        databake::quote! {
+            // Safety: Known to come from a valid V since self.as_bytes() is always a valid V
+            unsafe {
+                zerovec::VarZeroCow::from_byte_slice_unchecked(#bytes)
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+#[cfg(feature = "databake")]
+impl<'a, V: VarULE + ?Sized> databake::BakeSize for VarZeroCow<'a, V> {
+    fn borrows_size(&self) -> usize {
+        self.as_bytes().len()
+    }
+}
+
+impl<'a, V: VarULE + ?Sized> ZeroFrom<'a, V> for VarZeroCow<'a, V> {
+    #[inline]
+    fn zero_from(other: &'a V) -> Self {
+        Self::new_borrowed(other)
+    }
+}
+
+impl<'a, 'b, V: VarULE + ?Sized> ZeroFrom<'a, VarZeroCow<'b, V>> for VarZeroCow<'a, V> {
+    #[inline]
+    fn zero_from(other: &'a VarZeroCow<'b, V>) -> Self {
+        Self::new_borrowed(other)
+    }
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::VarZeroCow;
+    use crate::ule::tuplevar::Tuple3VarULE;
+    use crate::vecs::VarZeroSlice;
+    #[test]
+    fn test_cow_roundtrip() {
+        type Messy = Tuple3VarULE<str, [u8], VarZeroSlice<str>>;
+        let vec = vec!["one", "two", "three"];
+        let messy: VarZeroCow<Messy> =
+            VarZeroCow::from_encodeable(&("hello", &b"g\xFF\xFFdbye"[..], vec));
+
+        assert_eq!(messy.a(), "hello");
+        assert_eq!(messy.b(), b"g\xFF\xFFdbye");
+        assert_eq!(&messy.c()[1], "two");
+
+        #[cfg(feature = "serde")]
+        {
+            let bincode = bincode::serialize(&messy).unwrap();
+            let deserialized: VarZeroCow<Messy> = bincode::deserialize(&bincode).unwrap();
+            assert_eq!(
+                messy, deserialized,
+                "Single element roundtrips with bincode"
+            );
+            assert!(!deserialized.is_owned());
+
+            let json = serde_json::to_string(&messy).unwrap();
+            let deserialized: VarZeroCow<Messy> = serde_json::from_str(&json).unwrap();
+            assert_eq!(messy, deserialized, "Single element roundtrips with serde");
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/utils/zerovec/src/lib.rs b/utils/zerovec/src/lib.rs
index 0d9a3a02bae..8f50a671cf7 100644
--- a/utils/zerovec/src/lib.rs
+++ b/utils/zerovec/src/lib.rs
@@ -213,6 +213,7 @@
 
 extern crate alloc;
 
+mod cow;
 #[cfg(feature = "hashmap")]
 pub mod hashmap;
 mod map;
@@ -225,11 +226,11 @@ mod zerovec;
 // This must be after `mod zerovec` for some impls on `ZeroSlice<RawBytesULE>`
 // to show up in the right spot in the docs
 pub mod ule;
-
 #[cfg(feature = "yoke")]
 mod yoke_impls;
 mod zerofrom_impls;
 
+pub use crate::cow::VarZeroCow;
 #[cfg(feature = "hashmap")]
 pub use crate::hashmap::ZeroHashMap;
 pub use crate::map::map::ZeroMap;