News

It can be difficult to work out which style of bag is the right one for you. This decisions usually boils down to Backpack or Messenger bag. We’ve delved into the details of each to help you make the right choice based on what you need.

There’s nothing quite like the UK festival scene. So as festival season is right around the corner, we’ve put together our 5 favourite boutique festivals. While we all love Glastonbury, the UK has a great offering of independent festivals, all with their own individual flair, that are well worth checking out. So grab your wellies, and your roll-over backpack, and get ready to party the summer away.

Here at Kovered, we pride ourselves on being an eco-friendly business. However, being environmentally friendly when it comes to travel isn’t always easy. Sometimes it’s good to start small - so we’ve put together our top tips for creating a plastic free toiletries bag.

SOAP

First off, you need to ditch all of those plastic bottles which means swapping from shower gel to ‘old-fashioned’ bars of soap. Bars of soap might be something you haven’t used in years, but actually they’re still easy to find - you just need to look in the right place. There are loads of lovely smelling soaps on the market that are natural and plastic free. Some of our favourites are UK based Friendly Soaps and Wild Sage + Co. If a soap bar just isn’t for you, Lush have a ‘naked shower gel’ which essentially shower gel without the plastic bottle.

SHAMPOO CONDITIONER

Unlike soap, solid shampoo is still somewhat of a niche product, unless you know where to look. Lush do a fantastic range of solid shampoo and conditioner bars, and have different options to suit many types of hair. As a bonus they’re all also 100% natural and chemical free. Lush also provide a perfectly sized metal tin for your bar, to keep it (and your other toiletries) protected. Other options are, again Friendly Soaps and Solidu have cornered the market with an even more extensive natural range than Lush.

DEODORANT

Solid deodorant is easy to find, but solid deodorant without the plastic packaging? Not so much. Most travellers know the trick of using tea-tree oil to stay fresh when camping, but in really hot climates this may not hack it. Luckily Kutis Skincare has a great range of solid deodorant in biodegradable packaging. You just have to push the stick out and back into its tube for each use. And again, Lush offer a package free solid bar.

MOISTURISER

Solid, plastic free moisturisers are much rarer to find than the other toiletries we’ve talked about so far. However, just because you have more limited options, doesn’t mean they’re bad options. Lush do a moisturising bar for the body and face. If  you’re looking for one that will help you after a shave Glasgow based M. V. Kingston have a great range of solid colognes that also work as an after-shave balm.

RAZOR AND SHAVING FOAM

Talking of shaving - you might also need to look for a razor that doesnt have a plastic handle, as well as shaving foam to help you. Friendly soaps offer up a shaving bar that gives off more foam than you could imagine from a tiny little bar. As for plastic free razors, that much easier. Standard Razors have a great aluminum razor with replacement steel blades you can buy on the high street. You can also buy a plastic free shaving kit from Naked Necessities. It comes complete a wooden-handled razor and 5 replaceable blades allin 100% recyclable packaging.

TOOTHBRUSH AND TOOTHPASTE

Just like shampoo and conditioners toothbrushes and toothpaste come hand in hand. Bamboo toothbrushes have been popping up everywhere the last few years, and make a great plastic free option. Bristle UK do a range of toothbrushes and come in packs of 4 - enough to last you all year. As for toothpaste, Georganics do a spearmint coconut oil toothpaste that is dentist approved. It can take a little getting used to though, as its non-foaming. It also comes in a glass container, which you can reuse each time you buy the paste.

SUNCREAM

A necessity when travelling! Once again, Lush come to the rescue with a solid sun cream bar that has 30SPF protection and is available packaging free. If you’re looking to tan you can get a solid tanning bar from Ethique, which give you protection and a little more glow on your skin.

MAKEUP REMOVER

As you probably know makeup wipes take years to degrade down and often end up in the oceans due to the plastic in them. Unfortunately there doesn’t seem to be any plastic free, or solid makeup remover on the market. The best option currently seem to be removable makeup wipes like the cloths from Marley’s Monsters. You do have to add make-up remover to them, but they are re-useable and recyclable when they time comes to replace them.

We often get asked “are your waxed cotton backpacks water repellant ” or “ I’m heading away for the weekend are you bags water repellent". The answer is YES, and so too are our holdalls…. not so much with our phone cases…..or stands.

Read more for further details on what to expect from our ethical luggage range of backpacks, holdalls and overshoulders.

4 minute read.

The clocks have rolled on back in the UK and so too have the temperatures. The “longest” summer in 40 years might have faded away, but what’s new with KOVERED and what’s worth a visit in the new collection?

Here’s a condensed guide to the latest collection available online.

 For starters we’ve launched a range of new lines, two backpack range, two overshoulder bags, one universal laptop stand and two new phone cases styles…. to be precise.

Backpacks

Whether your an urban explorer, digital nomand or backpack enthusiast.. our latest range of upcycled ethically hand finished bags are now live. We’ve made a few adjustments based on our tribes Feedback (thank you to all 10,000+ of you now wearing one of our bags).

Key New Features

• New clasp connectors for easy access
• Improved magnetic button connectors for strength and durability
• Increased waterproofing and leather treatment finishes (further details here)
• Extra pockets and clip points for re usable waterbottles / tech / life stuff!

Overshoulder Luggage
It’s the rerun of the long awaited laptop overshoulder with adjustable and removed straps, all our designs are 100% unisex and we support this in all our practices. Our new overshoulder range includes two styles. The main difference is portability and pockets with the Medway bag suiting the those looking for extra pockets and storage space.

 Key Features

• Light or Full options depending on the application
• Can fit up to 17” laptop in Full version
• Adjustable and removable overshoulder strap for hand carrying
• Durable multi zip and extra pockets for all your “stuff”

Universal Laptop Stand

Our new ultra thin travel laptop stand is a breakaway from the usual accessories. Made from sustainably sourced bamboo the ergonomic design allows for functions and portability . Weighting under 400grams we wanted to launch something which allows easy set up whilst remaining minimal.

Key Features

1. Lightweight at under 350grams
2. 100% ethically sourced bamboo
3. Universal fit with pre set engineered height to reduce back strain (no medical advice given!)
4. Folds away into ultra thin <10mm thickness

Snap-on Phone Cases 

Back to our roots! It was time we launched a new material in a fully recyclabled PUC shell case. We’ve worked for 2 years on the design and finish bringing a real stone material with style to the mass market. After 18 months of trials and tests, we’re proud to launch. Watch this space for spin of ranges from this unique 3M backed material.

Key Features

1.Ultra lightweight and durable

2. Unique styling made from REAL yes REAL stone
3. Shock and scratch proof shell built for life’s adventures 

We’re also pleased to announce that in Spring 2019 we have some big news and a release regarding our forthcoming Crowdfunding project. Sign up to our seasonal mailing list here to keep in the loop and register for exclusive pre sale and tester products.

Thanks for the support so far

Kind Regards,

Team Kovered