diff --git a/engineioxide/src/str.rs b/engineioxide/src/str.rs
index 8655f44d..beeea1ed 100644
--- a/engineioxide/src/str.rs
+++ b/engineioxide/src/str.rs
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+use std::borrow::Cow;
+
 use bytes::Bytes;
 
 /// A custom [`Bytes`] wrapper to efficiently store string packets
@@ -46,6 +48,23 @@ impl From<String> for Str {
     }
 }
 
+impl From<Cow<'static, str>> for Str {
+    fn from(s: Cow<'static, str>) -> Self {
+        match s {
+            Cow::Borrowed(s) => Str::from(s),
+            Cow::Owned(s) => Str::from(s),
+        }
+    }
+}
+impl From<&Cow<'static, str>> for Str {
+    fn from(s: &Cow<'static, str>) -> Self {
+        match s {
+            Cow::Borrowed(s) => Str::from(*s),
+            Cow::Owned(s) => Str(Bytes::copy_from_slice(s.as_bytes())),
+        }
+    }
+}
+
 impl From<Str> for Bytes {
     fn from(s: Str) -> Self {
         s.0
diff --git a/socketioxide/src/client.rs b/socketioxide/src/client.rs
index 97b82235..d95b6ac2 100644
--- a/socketioxide/src/client.rs
+++ b/socketioxide/src/client.rs
@@ -49,13 +49,13 @@ impl<A: Adapter> Client<A> {
     fn sock_connect(
         &self,
         auth: Option<String>,
-        ns_path: &str,
+        ns_path: Str,
         esocket: &Arc<engineioxide::Socket<SocketData<A>>>,
     ) -> Result<(), Error> {
         #[cfg(feature = "tracing")]
         tracing::debug!("auth: {:?}", auth);
 
-        if let Some(ns) = self.get_ns(ns_path) {
+        if let Some(ns) = self.get_ns(&ns_path) {
             let esocket = esocket.clone();
             tokio::spawn(async move {
                 if ns.connect(esocket.id, esocket.clone(), auth).await.is_ok() {
@@ -246,7 +246,7 @@ impl<A: Adapter> EngineIoHandler for Client<A> {
         if protocol == ProtocolVersion::V4 {
             #[cfg(feature = "tracing")]
             tracing::debug!("connecting to default namespace for v4");
-            self.sock_connect(None, "/", &socket).unwrap();
+            self.sock_connect(None, Str::from("/"), &socket).unwrap();
         }
 
         if protocol == ProtocolVersion::V5 {
@@ -299,7 +299,7 @@ impl<A: Adapter> EngineIoHandler for Client<A> {
 
         let res: Result<(), Error> = match packet.inner {
             PacketData::Connect(auth) => self
-                .sock_connect(auth, &packet.ns, &socket)
+                .sock_connect(auth, packet.ns, &socket)
                 .map_err(Into::into),
             PacketData::BinaryEvent(_, _, _) | PacketData::BinaryAck(_, _) => {
                 // Cache-in the socket data until all the binary payloads are received
diff --git a/socketioxide/src/extract/socket.rs b/socketioxide/src/extract/socket.rs
index 1be53612..8dc89741 100644
--- a/socketioxide/src/extract/socket.rs
+++ b/socketioxide/src/extract/socket.rs
@@ -122,7 +122,7 @@ impl<A: Adapter> AckSender<A> {
                     return Err(e.with_value(data).into());
                 }
             };
-            let ns = self.socket.ns();
+            let ns = &self.socket.ns.path;
             let data = serde_json::to_value(data)?;
             let packet = if self.binary.is_empty() {
                 Packet::ack(ns, data, ack_id)
diff --git a/socketioxide/src/packet.rs b/socketioxide/src/packet.rs
index 435b7184..f5e65507 100644
--- a/socketioxide/src/packet.rs
+++ b/socketioxide/src/packet.rs
@@ -18,70 +18,70 @@ pub struct Packet<'a> {
     /// The packet data
     pub inner: PacketData<'a>,
     /// The namespace the packet belongs to
-    pub ns: Cow<'a, str>,
+    pub ns: Str,
 }
 
 impl<'a> Packet<'a> {
     /// Send a connect packet with a default payload for v5 and no payload for v4
     pub fn connect(
-        ns: &'a str,
+        ns: impl Into<Str>,
         #[allow(unused_variables)] sid: Sid,
         #[allow(unused_variables)] protocol: ProtocolVersion,
     ) -> Self {
         #[cfg(not(feature = "v4"))]
         {
-            Self::connect_v5(ns, sid)
+            Self::connect_v5(ns.into(), sid)
         }
 
         #[cfg(feature = "v4")]
         {
             match protocol {
-                ProtocolVersion::V4 => Self::connect_v4(ns),
-                ProtocolVersion::V5 => Self::connect_v5(ns, sid),
+                ProtocolVersion::V4 => Self::connect_v4(ns.into()),
+                ProtocolVersion::V5 => Self::connect_v5(ns.into(), sid),
             }
         }
     }
 
     /// Sends a connect packet without payload.
     #[cfg(feature = "v4")]
-    fn connect_v4(ns: &'a str) -> Self {
+    fn connect_v4(ns: Str) -> Self {
         Self {
             inner: PacketData::Connect(None),
-            ns: Cow::Borrowed(ns),
+            ns,
         }
     }
 
     /// Sends a connect packet with payload.
-    fn connect_v5(ns: &'a str, sid: Sid) -> Self {
+    fn connect_v5(ns: Str, sid: Sid) -> Self {
         let val = serde_json::to_string(&ConnectPacket { sid }).unwrap();
         Self {
             inner: PacketData::Connect(Some(val)),
-            ns: Cow::Borrowed(ns),
+            ns,
         }
     }
 
     /// Create a disconnect packet for the given namespace
-    pub fn disconnect(ns: &'a str) -> Self {
+    pub fn disconnect(ns: impl Into<Str>) -> Self {
         Self {
             inner: PacketData::Disconnect,
-            ns: Cow::Borrowed(ns),
+            ns: ns.into(),
         }
     }
 }
 
 impl<'a> Packet<'a> {
     /// Create a connect error packet for the given namespace with a message
-    pub fn connect_error(ns: &'a str, message: &str) -> Self {
+    pub fn connect_error(ns: impl Into<Str>, message: &str) -> Self {
         let message = serde_json::to_string(message).unwrap();
         let packet = format!(r#"{{"message":{}}}"#, message);
         Self {
             inner: PacketData::ConnectError(packet),
-            ns: Cow::Borrowed(ns),
+            ns: ns.into(),
         }
     }
 
     /// Create an event packet for the given namespace
-    pub fn event(ns: impl Into<Cow<'a, str>>, e: impl Into<Cow<'a, str>>, data: Value) -> Self {
+    pub fn event(ns: impl Into<Str>, e: impl Into<Cow<'a, str>>, data: Value) -> Self {
         Self {
             inner: PacketData::Event(e.into(), data, None),
             ns: ns.into(),
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@ impl<'a> Packet<'a> {
 
     /// Create a binary event packet for the given namespace
     pub fn bin_event(
-        ns: impl Into<Cow<'a, str>>,
+        ns: impl Into<Str>,
         e: impl Into<Cow<'a, str>>,
         data: Value,
         bin: Vec<Bytes>,
@@ -105,20 +105,20 @@ impl<'a> Packet<'a> {
     }
 
     /// Create an ack packet for the given namespace
-    pub fn ack(ns: &'a str, data: Value, ack: i64) -> Self {
+    pub fn ack(ns: impl Into<Str>, data: Value, ack: i64) -> Self {
         Self {
             inner: PacketData::EventAck(data, ack),
-            ns: Cow::Borrowed(ns),
+            ns: ns.into(),
         }
     }
 
     /// Create a binary ack packet for the given namespace
-    pub fn bin_ack(ns: &'a str, data: Value, bin: Vec<Bytes>, ack: i64) -> Self {
+    pub fn bin_ack(ns: impl Into<Str>, data: Value, bin: Vec<Bytes>, ack: i64) -> Self {
         debug_assert!(!bin.is_empty());
         let packet = BinaryPacket::outgoing(data, bin);
         Self {
             inner: PacketData::BinaryAck(packet, ack),
-            ns: Cow::Borrowed(ns),
+            ns: ns.into(),
         }
     }
 
@@ -466,19 +466,19 @@ impl<'a> TryFrom<Str> for Packet<'a> {
                 match chars.get(i) {
                     Some(b',') => {
                         i += 1;
-                        break Cow::Owned(value[start_index..i - 1].to_string());
+                        break value.slice(start_index..i - 1);
                     }
                     // It maybe possible depending on clients that ns does not end with a comma
                     // if it is the end of the packet
                     // e.g `1/custom`
                     None => {
-                        break Cow::Owned(value[start_index..i].to_string());
+                        break value.slice(start_index..i);
                     }
                     Some(_) => i += 1,
                 }
             }
         } else {
-            Cow::Borrowed("/")
+            Str::from("/")
         };
 
         let start_index = i;
diff --git a/socketioxide/src/socket.rs b/socketioxide/src/socket.rs
index 35ba2d99..7743ac01 100644
--- a/socketioxide/src/socket.rs
+++ b/socketioxide/src/socket.rs
@@ -319,7 +319,7 @@ impl<A: Adapter> Socket<A> {
             }
         };
 
-        let ns = self.ns();
+        let ns = &self.ns.path;
         let data = serde_json::to_value(data)?;
         permit.send(Packet::event(ns, event.into(), data));
         Ok(())
@@ -392,8 +392,9 @@ impl<A: Adapter> Socket<A> {
                 return Err(e.with_value(data).into());
             }
         };
+        let ns = &self.ns.path;
         let data = serde_json::to_value(data)?;
-        let packet = Packet::event(self.ns(), event.into(), data);
+        let packet = Packet::event(ns, event.into(), data);
         let rx = self.send_with_ack_permit(packet, permit);
         let stream = AckInnerStream::send(rx, self.get_io().config().ack_timeout, self.id);
         Ok(AckStream::<V>::from(stream))
diff --git a/socketioxide/tests/connect.rs b/socketioxide/tests/connect.rs
index ba77d21b..b3978c37 100644
--- a/socketioxide/tests/connect.rs
+++ b/socketioxide/tests/connect.rs
@@ -7,7 +7,11 @@ use socketioxide::{
 };
 use tokio::sync::mpsc;
 
-fn create_msg(ns: &str, event: &str, data: impl Into<serde_json::Value>) -> engineioxide::Packet {
+fn create_msg(
+    ns: &'static str,
+    event: &str,
+    data: impl Into<serde_json::Value>,
+) -> engineioxide::Packet {
     let packet: String = Packet::event(ns, event, data.into()).into();
     Message(packet.into())
 }
diff --git a/socketioxide/tests/extractors.rs b/socketioxide/tests/extractors.rs
index e9b38116..296d5fdd 100644
--- a/socketioxide/tests/extractors.rs
+++ b/socketioxide/tests/extractors.rs
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ async fn timeout_rcv_err<T: std::fmt::Debug>(srx: &mut tokio::sync::mpsc::Receiv
         .unwrap_err();
 }
 
-fn create_msg(ns: &str, event: &str, data: impl Into<serde_json::Value>) -> EioPacket {
+fn create_msg(ns: &'static str, event: &str, data: impl Into<serde_json::Value>) -> EioPacket {
     let packet: String = Packet::event(ns, event, data.into()).into();
     EioPacket::Message(packet.into())
 }