diff --git a/oscars/src/alloc/arena2/alloc.rs b/oscars/src/alloc/arena2/alloc.rs
index f1a2c86..ec22503 100644
--- a/oscars/src/alloc/arena2/alloc.rs
+++ b/oscars/src/alloc/arena2/alloc.rs
@@ -48,6 +48,7 @@ impl<T: ?Sized> ArenaHeapItem<T> {
     ///
     /// This avoids creating a `&mut self` reference, which can lead to stacked borrows
     /// if shared references to the heap item exist
+    #[allow(dead_code)]
     pub(crate) fn as_value_ptr(ptr: NonNull<Self>) -> *mut T {
         // SAFETY: `&raw mut` computes the field address without creating a reference
         unsafe { &raw mut (*ptr.as_ptr()).value }
@@ -147,6 +148,7 @@ impl<'arena> ErasedArenaPointer<'arena> {
     /// SAFETY:
     ///
     /// safe because the gc collector owns the arena and keeps it alive
+    #[allow(dead_code)]
     pub(crate) unsafe fn extend_lifetime(self) -> ErasedArenaPointer<'static> {
         ErasedArenaPointer(self.0, PhantomData)
     }
@@ -202,6 +204,7 @@ impl<'arena, T> ArenaPointer<'arena, T> {
     /// SAFETY:
     ///
     /// safe because the gc collector owns the arena and keeps it alive
+    #[allow(dead_code)]
     pub(crate) unsafe fn extend_lifetime(self) -> ArenaPointer<'static, T> {
         // SAFETY: upheld by caller
         ArenaPointer(unsafe { self.0.extend_lifetime() }, PhantomData)
diff --git a/oscars/src/alloc/mempool3/alloc.rs b/oscars/src/alloc/mempool3/alloc.rs
index 64e5ba3..813440f 100644
--- a/oscars/src/alloc/mempool3/alloc.rs
+++ b/oscars/src/alloc/mempool3/alloc.rs
@@ -107,7 +107,7 @@ impl<'pool, T: ?Sized> PoolPointer<'pool, T> {
     }
 }
 
-impl<'pool, T> PoolPointer<'pool, T> {
+impl<'pool, T: ?Sized> PoolPointer<'pool, T> {
     pub(crate) unsafe fn from_raw(raw: NonNull<PoolItem<T>>) -> Self {
         Self(raw, PhantomData)
     }
diff --git a/oscars/src/collectors/mark_sweep_branded/gc.rs b/oscars/src/collectors/mark_sweep_branded/gc.rs
index 073e706..e220515 100644
--- a/oscars/src/collectors/mark_sweep_branded/gc.rs
+++ b/oscars/src/collectors/mark_sweep_branded/gc.rs
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ impl<'gc, T: Trace + 'gc> Deref for Gc<'gc, T> {
     }
 }
 
-impl<T: Trace> Finalize for Gc<'_, T> {}
+impl<T: Trace + ?Sized> Finalize for Gc<'_, T> {}
 unsafe impl<T: Trace> Trace for Gc<'_, T> {
     unsafe fn trace(&self, tracer: &mut crate::collectors::mark_sweep_branded::trace::Tracer) {
         tracer.mark(self);
diff --git a/oscars/src/collectors/null_collector_branded/cell.rs b/oscars/src/collectors/null_collector_branded/cell.rs
index cdedb43..ca36252 100644
--- a/oscars/src/collectors/null_collector_branded/cell.rs
+++ b/oscars/src/collectors/null_collector_branded/cell.rs
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ use core::cell::{Ref, RefCell, RefMut};
 use core::ops::{Deref, DerefMut};
 
 /// GC aware wrapper around [`RefCell<T>`]
-pub struct GcRefCell<T: Trace> {
+pub struct GcRefCell<T: Trace + ?Sized> {
     inner: RefCell<T>,
 }
 
@@ -13,7 +13,9 @@ impl<T: Trace> GcRefCell<T> {
             inner: RefCell::new(value),
         }
     }
+}
 
+impl<T: Trace + ?Sized> GcRefCell<T> {
     /// Acquires a shared borrow of the inner value.
     ///
     /// # Panics
@@ -31,37 +33,104 @@ impl<T: Trace> GcRefCell<T> {
     pub fn borrow_mut(&self) -> GcRefMut<'_, T> {
         GcRefMut(self.inner.borrow_mut())
     }
+
+    pub fn try_borrow(&self) -> Result<GcRef<'_, T>, core::cell::BorrowError> {
+        self.inner.try_borrow().map(GcRef)
+    }
+
+    pub fn try_borrow_mut(&self) -> Result<GcRefMut<'_, T>, core::cell::BorrowMutError> {
+        self.inner.try_borrow_mut().map(GcRefMut)
+    }
 }
 
 /// Shared borrow guard returned by [`GcRefCell::borrow`]
-pub struct GcRef<'a, T: Trace>(Ref<'a, T>);
+pub struct GcRef<'a, T: Trace + ?Sized>(Ref<'a, T>);
 
-impl<T: Trace> Deref for GcRef<'_, T> {
+impl<T: Trace + ?Sized> Deref for GcRef<'_, T> {
     type Target = T;
-    fn deref(&self) -> &T {
+    #[inline]
+    fn deref(&self) -> &Self::Target {
         &self.0
     }
 }
 
 /// A mutable borrow guard returned by [`GcRefCell::borrow_mut`]
-pub struct GcRefMut<'a, T: Trace>(RefMut<'a, T>);
+pub struct GcRefMut<'a, T: Trace + ?Sized>(RefMut<'a, T>);
 
-impl<T: Trace> Deref for GcRefMut<'_, T> {
+impl<T: Trace + ?Sized> Deref for GcRefMut<'_, T> {
     type Target = T;
-    fn deref(&self) -> &T {
+    #[inline]
+    fn deref(&self) -> &Self::Target {
         &self.0
     }
 }
 
-impl<T: Trace> DerefMut for GcRefMut<'_, T> {
-    fn deref_mut(&mut self) -> &mut T {
+impl<T: Trace + ?Sized> DerefMut for GcRefMut<'_, T> {
+    #[inline]
+    fn deref_mut(&mut self) -> &mut Self::Target {
         &mut self.0
     }
 }
 
-impl<T: Trace> Finalize for GcRefCell<T> {}
+impl<'a, T: Trace + ?Sized> GcRef<'a, T> {
+    pub fn clone(orig: &GcRef<'a, T>) -> GcRef<'a, T> {
+        GcRef(Ref::clone(&orig.0))
+    }
+    pub fn map<U: Trace + ?Sized, F>(orig: GcRef<'a, T>, f: F) -> GcRef<'a, U>
+    where
+        F: FnOnce(&T) -> &U,
+    {
+        GcRef(Ref::map(orig.0, f))
+    }
+    pub fn try_map<U: Trace + ?Sized, F>(orig: GcRef<'a, T>, f: F) -> Option<GcRef<'a, U>>
+    where
+        F: FnOnce(&T) -> Option<&U>,
+    {
+        Ref::filter_map(orig.0, f).ok().map(GcRef)
+    }
+    /// Casts a `GcRef<T>` to a `GcRef<U>` without type checking.
+    ///
+    /// # Safety
+    ///
+    /// `T` and `U` must be pointer-compatible. The underlying value must be
+    /// a valid `U`.
+    pub unsafe fn cast<U: Trace>(orig: GcRef<'a, T>) -> GcRef<'a, U> {
+        GcRef(Ref::map(orig.0, |t| unsafe {
+            &*((t as *const T).cast::<U>())
+        }))
+    }
+}
+
+impl<'a, T: Trace + ?Sized> GcRefMut<'a, T> {
+    pub fn map<U: Trace + ?Sized, F>(orig: GcRefMut<'a, T>, f: F) -> GcRefMut<'a, U>
+    where
+        F: FnOnce(&mut T) -> &mut U,
+    {
+        GcRefMut(RefMut::map(orig.0, f))
+    }
+    pub fn try_map<U: Trace + ?Sized, F>(orig: GcRefMut<'a, T>, f: F) -> Option<GcRefMut<'a, U>>
+    where
+        F: FnOnce(&mut T) -> Option<&mut U>,
+    {
+        RefMut::filter_map(orig.0, f).ok().map(GcRefMut)
+    }
+    /// Casts a `GcRefMut<T>` to a `GcRefMut<U>` without type checking.
+    ///
+    /// # Safety
+    ///
+    /// `T` and `U` must be pointer compatible, the underlying value must be
+    /// a valid `U`
+    pub unsafe fn cast<U: Trace>(orig: GcRefMut<'a, T>) -> GcRefMut<'a, U> {
+        GcRefMut(RefMut::map(orig.0, |t| unsafe {
+            &mut *((t as *mut T).cast::<U>())
+        }))
+    }
+}
 
-unsafe impl<T: Trace> Trace for GcRefCell<T> {
+impl<T: Trace + ?Sized> Finalize for GcRefCell<T> {}
+
+unsafe impl<T: Trace + ?Sized> Trace for GcRefCell<T> {
+    #[inline]
     unsafe fn trace(&self, tracer: &mut Tracer) {
         // SAFETY: We only access the inner value for tracing and do not mutate it.
         // The null collector's trace is a no-op, so this is safe.
@@ -71,3 +140,60 @@ unsafe impl<T: Trace> Trace for GcRefCell<T> {
         }
     }
 }
+
+impl<T: Trace + Default> Default for GcRefCell<T> {
+    #[inline]
+    fn default() -> Self {
+        Self::new(T::default())
+    }
+}
+
+impl<T: Trace + core::fmt::Debug> core::fmt::Debug for GcRefCell<T> {
+    fn fmt(&self, f: &mut core::fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> core::fmt::Result {
+        match self.inner.try_borrow() {
+            Ok(borrow) => f.debug_tuple("GcRefCell").field(&*borrow).finish(),
+            Err(_) => {
+                struct BorrowedPlaceholder;
+                impl core::fmt::Debug for BorrowedPlaceholder {
+                    fn fmt(&self, f: &mut core::fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> core::fmt::Result {
+                        f.write_str("<borrowed>")
+                    }
+                }
+                f.debug_tuple("GcRefCell")
+                    .field(&BorrowedPlaceholder)
+                    .finish()
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+impl<T: Trace + Clone> Clone for GcRefCell<T> {
+    #[inline]
+    fn clone(&self) -> Self {
+        Self::new(self.inner.borrow().clone())
+    }
+}
+
+impl<'a, T: Trace + core::fmt::Debug + ?Sized> core::fmt::Debug for GcRef<'a, T> {
+    fn fmt(&self, f: &mut core::fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> core::fmt::Result {
+        core::fmt::Debug::fmt(&**self, f)
+    }
+}
+
+impl<'a, T: Trace + core::fmt::Display + ?Sized> core::fmt::Display for GcRef<'a, T> {
+    fn fmt(&self, f: &mut core::fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> core::fmt::Result {
+        core::fmt::Display::fmt(&**self, f)
+    }
+}
+
+impl<'a, T: Trace + core::fmt::Debug + ?Sized> core::fmt::Debug for GcRefMut<'a, T> {
+    fn fmt(&self, f: &mut core::fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> core::fmt::Result {
+        core::fmt::Debug::fmt(&**self, f)
+    }
+}
+
+impl<'a, T: Trace + core::fmt::Display + ?Sized> core::fmt::Display for GcRefMut<'a, T> {
+    fn fmt(&self, f: &mut core::fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> core::fmt::Result {
+        core::fmt::Display::fmt(&**self, f)
+    }
+}
diff --git a/oscars/src/collectors/null_collector_branded/gc.rs b/oscars/src/collectors/null_collector_branded/gc.rs
index 37d5cd4..32ec3c2 100644
--- a/oscars/src/collectors/null_collector_branded/gc.rs
+++ b/oscars/src/collectors/null_collector_branded/gc.rs
@@ -36,11 +36,10 @@ impl<'gc, T: Trace + ?Sized + 'gc> Gc<'gc, T> {
 }
 
 impl<'gc, T: Trace + ?Sized + 'gc> Gc<'gc, T> {
-    /// Returns a shared reference to the value.
+    /// Gets a reference to the inner value.
     #[inline]
     pub fn get(&self) -> &T {
-        // SAFETY: `ptr` is non-null and valid for `'gc` by construction.
-        unsafe { &(*self.ptr.as_ptr().as_ptr()).0.value }
+        unsafe { &self.ptr.as_ptr().as_ref().0.value }
     }
 
     #[inline]
@@ -57,12 +56,14 @@ impl<'gc, T: Trace + ?Sized + fmt::Display + 'gc> fmt::Display for Gc<'gc, T> {
 
 impl<'gc, T: Trace + ?Sized + 'gc> Deref for Gc<'gc, T> {
     type Target = T;
+    #[inline]
     fn deref(&self) -> &T {
         self.get()
     }
 }
 
 impl<T: Trace + ?Sized> Finalize for Gc<'_, T> {}
+
 unsafe impl<T: Trace + ?Sized> Trace for Gc<'_, T> {
     unsafe fn trace(&self, tracer: &mut crate::collectors::null_collector_branded::trace::Tracer) {
         tracer.mark(self);
diff --git a/oscars/src/collectors/null_collector_branded/gc_box.rs b/oscars/src/collectors/null_collector_branded/gc_box.rs
index 97f806e..2514b95 100644
--- a/oscars/src/collectors/null_collector_branded/gc_box.rs
+++ b/oscars/src/collectors/null_collector_branded/gc_box.rs
@@ -2,14 +2,16 @@ use core::ptr::NonNull;
 
 use crate::alloc::mempool3::PoolAllocator;
 
-pub(crate) type DropFn = unsafe fn(&mut PoolAllocator<'static>, NonNull<u8>);
+pub type DropFn = unsafe fn(&mut PoolAllocator<'static>, NonNull<u8>);
 
 /// Heap wrapper for a garbage collected value.
 ///
 /// Allocated via [`PoolAllocator`]
-pub(crate) struct GcBox<T: ?Sized> {
+pub struct GcBox<T: ?Sized> {
     /// Type erased finalize and free fn
     pub(crate) drop_fn: DropFn,
+    /// Type name of the underlying value
+    pub(crate) type_name: &'static str,
     /// User value
     pub(crate) value: T,
 }
@@ -17,6 +19,10 @@ pub(crate) struct GcBox<T: ?Sized> {
 impl<T> GcBox<T> {
     /// Create a [`GcBox`] for `value`
     pub(crate) fn new(value: T, drop_fn: DropFn) -> Self {
-        Self { drop_fn, value }
+        Self {
+            drop_fn,
+            type_name: core::any::type_name::<T>(),
+            value,
+        }
     }
 }