diff --git a/ssh/common.go b/ssh/common.go
index 6c65b95..3368c3c 100644
--- a/ssh/common.go
+++ b/ssh/common.go
@@ -249,3 +249,15 @@ func safeString(s string) string {
 	}
 	return string(out)
 }
+
+func appendU16(buf []byte, n uint16) []byte {
+	return append(buf, byte(n>>8), byte(n))
+}
+
+func appendU32(buf []byte, n uint32) []byte {
+	return append(buf, byte(n>>24), byte(n>>16), byte(n>>8), byte(n))
+}
+
+func appendInt(buf []byte, n int) []byte {
+	return appendU32(buf, uint32(n))
+}
diff --git a/ssh/messages.go b/ssh/messages.go
index eac8b8d..d61c6c7 100644
--- a/ssh/messages.go
+++ b/ssh/messages.go
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ package ssh
 
 import (
 	"bytes"
+	"encoding/binary"
 	"io"
 	"math/big"
 	"reflect"
@@ -220,7 +221,7 @@ func unmarshal(out interface{}, packet []byte, expectedType uint8) error {
 			if len(packet) < t.Len() {
 				return ParseError{expectedType}
 			}
-			for j := 0; j < t.Len(); j++ {
+			for j, n := 0, t.Len(); j < n; j++ {
 				field.Index(j).Set(reflect.ValueOf(packet[j]))
 			}
 			packet = packet[t.Len():]
@@ -282,15 +283,13 @@ func unmarshal(out interface{}, packet []byte, expectedType uint8) error {
 
 // marshal serializes the message in msg, using the given message type.
 func marshal(msgType uint8, msg interface{}) []byte {
-	var out []byte
-	out = append(out, msgType)
+	out := make([]byte, 1, 64)
+	out[0] = msgType
 
 	v := reflect.ValueOf(msg)
-	structType := v.Type()
-	for i := 0; i < v.NumField(); i++ {
+	for i, n := 0, v.NumField(); i < n; i++ {
 		field := v.Field(i)
-		t := field.Type()
-		switch t.Kind() {
+		switch t := field.Type(); t.Kind() {
 		case reflect.Bool:
 			var v uint8
 			if field.Bool() {
@@ -301,53 +300,35 @@ func marshal(msgType uint8, msg interface{}) []byte {
 			if t.Elem().Kind() != reflect.Uint8 {
 				panic("array of non-uint8")
 			}
-			for j := 0; j < t.Len(); j++ {
-				out = append(out, byte(field.Index(j).Uint()))
+			for j, l := 0, t.Len(); j < l; j++ {
+				out = append(out, uint8(field.Index(j).Uint()))
 			}
 		case reflect.Uint32:
-			u32 := uint32(field.Uint())
-			out = append(out, byte(u32>>24))
-			out = append(out, byte(u32>>16))
-			out = append(out, byte(u32>>8))
-			out = append(out, byte(u32))
+			out = appendU32(out, uint32(field.Uint()))
 		case reflect.String:
 			s := field.String()
-			out = append(out, byte(len(s)>>24))
-			out = append(out, byte(len(s)>>16))
-			out = append(out, byte(len(s)>>8))
-			out = append(out, byte(len(s)))
+			out = appendInt(out, len(s))
 			out = append(out, s...)
 		case reflect.Slice:
 			switch t.Elem().Kind() {
 			case reflect.Uint8:
-				length := field.Len()
-				if structType.Field(i).Tag.Get("ssh") != "rest" {
-					out = append(out, byte(length>>24))
-					out = append(out, byte(length>>16))
-					out = append(out, byte(length>>8))
-					out = append(out, byte(length))
-				}
-				for j := 0; j < length; j++ {
-					out = append(out, byte(field.Index(j).Uint()))
+				if v.Type().Field(i).Tag.Get("ssh") != "rest" {
+					out = appendInt(out, field.Len())
 				}
+				out = append(out, field.Bytes()...)
 			case reflect.String:
-				var length int
-				for j := 0; j < field.Len(); j++ {
-					if j != 0 {
-						length++ /* comma */
+				offset := len(out)
+				out = appendU32(out, 0)
+				if n := field.Len(); n > 0 {
+					for j := 0; j < n; j++ {
+						f := field.Index(j)
+						if j != 0 {
+							out = append(out, ',')
+						}
+						out = append(out, f.String()...)
 					}
-					length += len(field.Index(j).String())
-				}
-
-				out = append(out, byte(length>>24))
-				out = append(out, byte(length>>16))
-				out = append(out, byte(length>>8))
-				out = append(out, byte(length))
-				for j := 0; j < field.Len(); j++ {
-					if j != 0 {
-						out = append(out, ',')
-					}
-					out = append(out, field.Index(j).String()...)
+					// overwrite length value
+					binary.BigEndian.PutUint32(out[offset:], uint32(len(out)-offset-4))
 				}
 			default:
 				panic("slice of unknown type")
@@ -382,7 +363,7 @@ func parseString(in []byte) (out, rest []byte, ok bool) {
 	if len(in) < 4 {
 		return
 	}
-	length := uint32(in[0])<<24 | uint32(in[1])<<16 | uint32(in[2])<<8 | uint32(in[3])
+	length := binary.BigEndian.Uint32(in)
 	if uint32(len(in)) < 4+length {
 		return
 	}
@@ -438,31 +419,18 @@ func parseInt(in []byte) (out *big.Int, rest []byte, ok bool) {
 	return
 }
 
-func parseUint32(in []byte) (out uint32, rest []byte, ok bool) {
+func parseUint32(in []byte) (uint32, []byte, bool) {
 	if len(in) < 4 {
-		return
+		return 0, nil, false
 	}
-	out = uint32(in[0])<<24 | uint32(in[1])<<16 | uint32(in[2])<<8 | uint32(in[3])
-	rest = in[4:]
-	ok = true
-	return
+	return binary.BigEndian.Uint32(in), in[4:], true
 }
 
-func parseUint64(in []byte) (out uint64, rest []byte, ok bool) {
+func parseUint64(in []byte) (uint64, []byte, bool) {
 	if len(in) < 8 {
-		return
+		return 0, nil, false
 	}
-	out = uint64(in[0])<<56 |
-		uint64(in[1])<<48 |
-		uint64(in[2])<<40 |
-		uint64(in[3])<<32 |
-		uint64(in[4])<<24 |
-		uint64(in[5])<<16 |
-		uint64(in[6])<<8 |
-		uint64(in[7])
-	rest = in[8:]
-	ok = true
-	return
+	return binary.BigEndian.Uint64(in), in[8:], true
 }
 
 func nameListLength(namelist []string) int {
@@ -502,22 +470,12 @@ func intLength(n *big.Int) int {
 }
 
 func marshalUint32(to []byte, n uint32) []byte {
-	to[0] = byte(n >> 24)
-	to[1] = byte(n >> 16)
-	to[2] = byte(n >> 8)
-	to[3] = byte(n)
+	binary.BigEndian.PutUint32(to, n)
 	return to[4:]
 }
 
 func marshalUint64(to []byte, n uint64) []byte {
-	to[0] = byte(n >> 56)
-	to[1] = byte(n >> 48)
-	to[2] = byte(n >> 40)
-	to[3] = byte(n >> 32)
-	to[4] = byte(n >> 24)
-	to[5] = byte(n >> 16)
-	to[6] = byte(n >> 8)
-	to[7] = byte(n)
+	binary.BigEndian.PutUint64(to, n)
 	return to[8:]
 }