diff --git a/core/deleter.hh b/core/deleter.hh
index 7bc49bd5bb..b02f9e84b7 100644
--- a/core/deleter.hh
+++ b/core/deleter.hh
@@ -6,17 +6,23 @@
 #define DELETER_HH_
 
 #include <memory>
+#include <cstdlib>
+#include <type_traits>
 
 class deleter {
 public:
     struct impl;
+    struct raw_object_tag {};
 private:
+    // if bit 0 set, point to object to be freed directly.
     impl* _impl = nullptr;
 public:
     deleter() = default;
     deleter(const deleter&) = delete;
     deleter(deleter&& x) : _impl(x._impl) { x._impl = nullptr; }
     explicit deleter(impl* i) : _impl(i) {}
+    deleter(raw_object_tag tag, void* object)
+        : _impl(from_raw_object(object)) {}
     ~deleter();
     deleter& operator=(deleter&& x);
     deleter& operator=(deleter&) = delete;
@@ -30,6 +36,19 @@ public:
         this->~deleter();
         new (this) deleter(i);
     }
+private:
+    bool is_raw_object() const {
+        auto x = reinterpret_cast<uintptr_t>(_impl);
+        return x & 1;
+    }
+    void* to_raw_object() const {
+        auto x = reinterpret_cast<uintptr_t>(_impl);
+        return reinterpret_cast<void*>(x & ~uintptr_t(1));
+    }
+    impl* from_raw_object(void* object) {
+        auto x = reinterpret_cast<uintptr_t>(object);
+        return reinterpret_cast<impl*>(x | 1);
+    }
 };
 
 struct deleter::impl {
@@ -41,6 +60,10 @@ struct deleter::impl {
 
 inline
 deleter::~deleter() {
+    if (is_raw_object()) {
+        std::free(to_raw_object());
+        return;
+    }
     if (_impl && --_impl->refs == 0) {
         delete _impl;
     }
@@ -69,14 +92,29 @@ make_deleter(deleter next, Deleter d) {
     return deleter(new lambda_deleter_impl<Deleter>(std::move(next), std::move(d)));
 }
 
+struct free_deleter_impl final : deleter::impl {
+    void* obj;
+    free_deleter_impl(void* obj) : impl(deleter()), obj(obj) {}
+    virtual ~free_deleter_impl() override { std::free(obj); }
+};
+
 inline
 deleter
 deleter::share() {
     if (!_impl) {
         return deleter();
     }
+    if (is_raw_object()) {
+        _impl = new free_deleter_impl(to_raw_object());
+    }
     ++_impl->refs;
     return deleter(_impl);
 }
 
+inline
+deleter
+make_free_deleter(void* obj) {
+    return deleter(deleter::raw_object_tag(), obj);
+}
+
 #endif /* DELETER_HH_ */
diff --git a/core/temporary_buffer.hh b/core/temporary_buffer.hh
index 73a88f4c49..9abde45e32 100644
--- a/core/temporary_buffer.hh
+++ b/core/temporary_buffer.hh
@@ -18,8 +18,8 @@ class temporary_buffer {
     deleter _deleter;
 public:
     explicit temporary_buffer(size_t size)
-        : _buffer(new CharType[size]), _size(size)
-        , _deleter(make_deleter(deleter(), [b = _buffer] { delete[] b; })) {}
+        : _buffer(static_cast<CharType*>(malloc(size * sizeof(CharType)))), _size(size)
+        , _deleter(make_free_deleter(_buffer)) {}
     //explicit temporary_buffer(CharType* borrow, size_t size) : _buffer(borrow), _size(size) {}
     temporary_buffer() = delete;
     temporary_buffer(const temporary_buffer&) = delete;
diff --git a/net/packet.hh b/net/packet.hh
index a35601d352..1aa8e087b4 100644
--- a/net/packet.hh
+++ b/net/packet.hh
@@ -175,6 +175,9 @@ public:
     // build packet with iterator
     template <typename Iterator, typename Deleter>
     packet(Iterator begin, Iterator end, Deleter del);
+    // build packet with iterator
+    template <typename Iterator>
+    packet(Iterator begin, Iterator end, deleter del);
     // append fragment (copying new fragment)
     packet(packet&& x, fragment frag);
     // prepend fragment (copying new fragment, with header optimization)
@@ -317,6 +320,18 @@ packet::packet(Iterator begin, Iterator end, Deleter del) {
     std::copy(begin, end, _impl->_frags);
 }
 
+template <typename Iterator>
+inline
+packet::packet(Iterator begin, Iterator end, deleter del) {
+    unsigned nr_frags = 0, len = 0;
+    nr_frags = std::distance(begin, end);
+    std::for_each(begin, end, [&] (fragment& frag) { len += frag.size; });
+    _impl = impl::allocate(nr_frags);
+    _impl->_deleter = std::move(del);
+    _impl->_len = len;
+    _impl->_nr_frags = nr_frags;
+    std::copy(begin, end, _impl->_frags);
+}
 
 inline
 packet::packet(packet&& x, fragment frag)
diff --git a/net/virtio.cc b/net/virtio.cc
index c622b43641..63abfa4b84 100644
--- a/net/virtio.cc
+++ b/net/virtio.cc
@@ -376,7 +376,7 @@ class virtio_net_device : public net::device {
         vring _ring;
         unsigned _remaining_buffers = 0;
         std::vector<fragment> _fragments;
-        std::vector<std::unique_ptr<char[]>> _deleters;
+        std::vector<std::unique_ptr<char[], free_deleter>> _deleters;
     public:
         rxq(virtio_net_device& _if,
                 vring::config config, readable_eventfd notified, writeable_eventfd kicked);
@@ -506,7 +506,7 @@ virtio_net_device::rxq::prepare_buffers() {
             struct single_buffer_and_comletion : std::array<vring::buffer, 1> {
                 promise<size_t> completed;
             } bc;
-            std::unique_ptr<char[]> buf(new char[4096]);
+            std::unique_ptr<char[], free_deleter> buf(reinterpret_cast<char*>(malloc(4096)));
             vring::buffer& b = bc[0];
             b.addr = virt_to_phys(buf.get());
             b.len = 4096;
@@ -528,12 +528,19 @@ virtio_net_device::rxq::prepare_buffers() {
 
                 // Append current buffer
                 _fragments.emplace_back(fragment{frag_buf, frag_len});
-                _deleters.emplace_back(buf.release());
+                _deleters.push_back(std::move(buf));
                 _remaining_buffers--;
 
                 // Last buffer
                 if (_remaining_buffers == 0) {
-                    packet p(_fragments.begin(), _fragments.end(), [deleters = std::move(_deleters)] () mutable { deleters.clear(); });
+                    deleter del;
+                    if (_deleters.size() == 1) {
+                        del = make_free_deleter(_deleters[0].release());
+                        _deleters.clear();
+                    } else {
+                        del = make_deleter(deleter(), [deleters = std::move(_deleters)] {});
+                    }
+                    packet p(_fragments.begin(), _fragments.end(), std::move(del));
                     _dev._rx_ready = _dev._rx_ready.then([this, p = std::move(p)] () mutable {
                         return _dev.queue_rx_packet(std::move(p));
                     });