Identifying your Urban Arrow rain cover: Essential, Plus, or FamilyNext – which one do you have?

You have an Urban Arrow Family and want to retrofit accessories – but at the latest when choosing a rain cover or the right interior lighting, the question arises: Which Urban Arrow rain cover do I actually have?

That is less clear than it sounds. For the original Family, Urban Arrow offers, among others, the Raincover Essential and Raincover Plus. For the newer FamilyNext, there is a separate, newly designed FamilyNext Raincover Plus. Therefore, the name "Plus" alone is not enough to select the correct accessory.

In this guide, we will show you step-by-step how to identify your cover – and which version of CargoGLOW is the right fit for it.

The quick check: Family or FamilyNext?

Before you compare Essential and Plus, first clarify your bike model. This is the most important step.

With the Urban Arrow FamilyNext, the box and the front frame have been redesigned. Urban Arrow therefore explicitly points out that box-related accessories had to be adapted. This includes, among other things, the Raincover Plus, the second bench seat, the infant seat adapter, and the box cover. The FamilyNext Raincover Plus is therefore a distinct cover and not simply the previous Family Raincover Plus with a new name.

If you have a FamilyNext, the matter is already much simpler: You need the cover or accessories that are explicitly intended for FamilyNext.

Urban Arrow Family: Essential or Plus?

For the original Urban Arrow Family, there are different rain cover versions. Two important designations are Raincover Essential and Raincover Plus.

Urban Arrow describes the Family Raincover Plus as a more spacious variant: compared to the Essential, it offers more room. This allows, for example, the use of a child seat adapter or an additional bench seat in the front. Furthermore, the Plus has roll-up side panels for easier entry and exit, as well as storage compartments and small metal eyelets.

The Raincover Essential is listed by Urban Arrow as a separate accessory with its own manual. The manufacturer also clearly distinguishes between replacement poles: in its Service Center, Urban Arrow lists Raincover Essential V3, Raincover Plus V4, and Raincover Plus for FamilyNext separately.

How to identify your Urban Arrow rain cover

If you are no longer sure of the exact designation, it is best to proceed in this order:

1. First, check if your bike is a FamilyNext

If you ride an Urban Arrow FamilyNext, it requires its own FamilyNext-specific box accessories. For the rain cover, this does not refer to the previous Family Plus, but to the newly designed FamilyNext version.

2. For the original Family: Look at the design and features of the cover

For the Family, the more spacious construction with roll-up side panels, storage compartments, and small metal eyelets is a strong indicator of the Raincover Plus. If you cannot clearly identify these features, you should not order based solely on the age of your bike.

3. Check available documents or the pole version

On the official Urban Arrow documentation page, the Raincover Essential, Raincover Plus, and Rain Cover FamilyNext are listed separately. For replacement poles, Urban Arrow additionally distinguishes between Essential V3, Plus V4, and the FamilyNext version. This can help if you still have a manual, packaging, or spare part information.

4. When in doubt: Send a photo instead of making a wrong order

If you still cannot reliably identify your cover, simply send us a photo of the entire rain cover and the frame before placing your order. We will help you with the selection. That is faster than ordering a supposedly matching variant only to find out later that the cover geometry does not fit.

Important: "Plus" does not automatically mean "FamilyNext"

This is probably the most common pitfall when it comes to naming.

There is a Family Raincover Plus for the original Urban Arrow Family and a FamilyNext Raincover Plus for the FamilyNext. Both have "Plus" in their name, but they are not the same accessory. Urban Arrow explains that the accessories for the box had to be adapted due to the redesigned front frame of the FamilyNext.

So, if you only have "Urban Arrow Plus" in your mind, that is not enough. It is also crucial whether you are riding the original Family or the FamilyNext.

What does this mean for CargoGLOW?

Our CargoGLOW interior lighting sits under the rain cover. Therefore, not only is the bike model important, but also the shape and the frame of the cover.

You can get CargoGLOW for Urban Arrow from us in matching versions. For the Urban Arrow FamilyNext, we offer CargoGLOW as the Urban Arrow Next variant. For older Urban Arrow rain covers, we carry other suitable versions.

The designations in the Urban Arrow accessory catalog and our variant names are not always word-for-word identical. That is precisely why it is worth doing a quick cover check before ordering.

Why the matching version is important

The different rain covers differ in shape, dimensions, and framing. CargoGLOW is intended to integrate neatly into the respective cover. Therefore, we select the version according to the specific rain cover and not simply based on the "Urban Arrow" lettering on the bike.

If you have a FamilyNext, you can choose our matching Urban Arrow Next version directly. For the original Family, you should first clarify which cover generation you are using.

FamilyNext: Exterior lighting and light inside the rain cover are two different things

There is another point with the FamilyNext: Urban Arrow offers optional design LEDs as exterior lighting. They fulfill a different function than our CargoGLOW interior lighting.

The design LEDs are mounted on the outside of the bike. CargoGLOW, on the other hand, brings light into the box under the rain cover. If you would like to understand the differences in more detail, you can find our guide here: Urban Arrow FamilyNext: Lighting, Design LEDs & Interior Light.

Our quick guide

Your bike / cover	What to look for?	What to check for CargoGLOW
Urban Arrow FamilyNext	Dedicated, newly designed FamilyNext Raincover Plus	Our Urban Arrow Next version
Urban Arrow Family + Raincover Plus	More space, roll-up side panels, storage/eyelets	Select matching Urban Arrow version based on your cover
Urban Arrow Family + Raincover Essential	Dedicated Essential cover; check docs/version	Select matching Urban Arrow version based on your cover
Unsure	Take a photo of the cover and frame	Contact us briefly before ordering

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Family Raincover Plus the same as the FamilyNext Raincover Plus?

No. Urban Arrow offers a newly designed version for the FamilyNext. Due to the modified front frame, box-related accessories for the FamilyNext had to be adapted.

How do I recognize if I have Essential or Plus?

According to Urban Arrow, the Plus offers more space and features, among other things, roll-up side panels, storage compartments, and small metal eyelets. If you cannot clearly identify your cover with this, check the manual or the cover/pole version or send us a photo.

Which CargoGLOW variant do I need for the Urban Arrow FamilyNext?

For the Urban Arrow FamilyNext, we offer the matching CargoGLOW as Urban Arrow Next. You can select the correct version directly on our product page.

Does CargoGLOW replace the bike lighting?

No. Our CargoGLOW interior lighting complements the existing bike lighting and brings light to the interior under the rain cover. You can find more on the topic of lighting and visibility in our guide: Cargo bike in the dark: Solving lighting and visibility correctly.

Find the right CargoGLOW for your Urban Arrow

Do you now know which rain cover you have? Then you can select the matching CargoGLOW version for your Urban Arrow directly from us. And if you are still unsure, send us a photo beforehand – we will help you with the identification.

View CargoGLOW for your Urban Arrow in our shop