diff --git a/src/steamnetworkingsockets/clientlib/steamnetworkingsockets_udp.cpp b/src/steamnetworkingsockets/clientlib/steamnetworkingsockets_udp.cpp
index 6f474eb..73de375 100644
--- a/src/steamnetworkingsockets/clientlib/steamnetworkingsockets_udp.cpp
+++ b/src/steamnetworkingsockets/clientlib/steamnetworkingsockets_udp.cpp
@@ -539,45 +539,37 @@ int CConnectionTransportUDPBase::SendEncryptedDataChunk( const void *pChunk, int
 	UDPSendPacketContext_t &ctx = static_cast<UDPSendPacketContext_t &>( ctxBase );
 
 	uint8 pkt[ k_cbSteamNetworkingSocketsMaxUDPMsgLen ];
-	UDPDataMsgHdr *hdr = (UDPDataMsgHdr *)pkt;
-	hdr->m_unMsgFlags = 0x80;
+	iovec gather[2];
+	gather[0].iov_base = pkt;
+	DataPacketSerializer<UDPDataMsgHdr> out( gather, pChunk, cbChunk );
+	out.hdr.m_unMsgFlags = 0x80;
 	Assert( m_connection.m_unConnectionIDRemote != 0 );
-	hdr->m_unToConnectionID = LittleDWord( m_connection.m_unConnectionIDRemote );
-	hdr->m_unSeqNum = LittleWord( m_connection.m_statsEndToEnd.ConsumeSendPacketNumberAndGetWireFmt( ctx.m_usecNow ) );
-
-	byte *p = (byte*)( hdr + 1 );
+	out.hdr.m_unToConnectionID = LittleDWord( m_connection.m_unConnectionIDRemote );
+	out.hdr.m_unSeqNum = LittleWord( m_connection.m_statsEndToEnd.ConsumeSendPacketNumberAndGetWireFmt( ctx.m_usecNow ) );
 
 	// Check how much bigger we could grow the header
 	// and still fit in a packet
-	int cbHdrOutSpaceRemaining = pkt + sizeof(pkt) - p - cbChunk;
-	if ( cbHdrOutSpaceRemaining < 0 )
+	if ( out.HdrBytesRemaining() < 0 )
 	{
 		AssertMsg( false, "MTU / header size problem!" );
 		return 0;
 	}
 
 	// Try to trim stuff from blob, if it won't fit
-	ctx.Trim( cbHdrOutSpaceRemaining );
+	ctx.Trim( out.HdrBytesRemaining() );
 
-	if ( ctx.Serialize( p ) )
+	if ( ctx.Serialize( out.m_pOut ) )
 	{
 		// Update bookkeeping with the stuff we are actually sending
 		TrackSentStats( ctx );
 
 		// Mark header with the flag
-		hdr->m_unMsgFlags |= hdr->kFlag_ProtobufBlob;
+		out.hdr.m_unMsgFlags |= out.hdr.kFlag_ProtobufBlob;
 	}
 
 	// !FIXME! Time since previous, for jitter measurement?
 
-	// Use gather-based send.  This saves one memcpy of every payload
-	iovec gather[2];
-	gather[0].iov_base = pkt;
-	gather[0].iov_len = p - pkt;
-	gather[1].iov_base = const_cast<void*>( pChunk );
-	gather[1].iov_len = cbChunk;
-
-	int cbSend = gather[0].iov_len + gather[1].iov_len;
+	int cbSend = out.Finish();
 	Assert( cbSend <= sizeof(pkt) ); // Bug in the code above.  We should never "overflow" the packet.  (Ignoring the fact that we using a gather-based send.  The data could be tiny with a large header for piggy-backed stats.)
 
 	// !FIXME! Should we track data payload separately?  Maybe we ought to track
diff --git a/src/steamnetworkingsockets/steamnetworkingsockets_internal.h b/src/steamnetworkingsockets/steamnetworkingsockets_internal.h
index 27b6caa..dccce46 100644
--- a/src/steamnetworkingsockets/steamnetworkingsockets_internal.h
+++ b/src/steamnetworkingsockets/steamnetworkingsockets_internal.h
@@ -1036,6 +1036,62 @@ protected:
 	virtual ~CPossibleOutOfOrderPacket();
 };
 
+// Helper used to serialize data packets with a header and optional inline stats blob
+struct DataPacketSerializerBase
+{
+	int HdrBytesRemaining() const { return int( m_pMaxOut - m_pOut ); }
+
+	inline void PutUint16( uint16 x )
+	{
+		*(uint16*)m_pOut = x;
+		m_pOut += sizeof(uint16);
+		Assert( m_pOut <= m_pMaxOut );
+	}
+
+	uint8 *m_pOut;
+	uint8 *m_pMaxOut;
+};
+
+// Data packet serializer used in client code, where we use iovec
+// so that we let th OS gather the header and the payload in
+// a single system call
+template <typename THdr >
+struct DataPacketSerializer : DataPacketSerializerBase
+{
+	DataPacketSerializer( iovec *pOvecOut, const void *pPayloadIn, int cbPayload )
+	: m_iov_out( pOvecOut )
+	, hdr( *(THdr *)( pOvecOut[0].iov_base ) )
+	{
+
+		// Make sure we have room for our header, and some occasional inline stats, and the max payload
+		COMPILE_TIME_ASSERT( sizeof(THdr) + k_cbSteamNetworkingSocketsMaxEncryptedPayloadSend + 32 <= k_cbSteamNetworkingSocketsMaxUDPMsgLen );
+
+		// Set payload
+		m_iov_out[1].iov_base = (void*)pPayloadIn;
+		m_iov_out[1].iov_len = cbPayload;
+
+		// Write pointer for data after header
+		m_pOut = (uint8*)( &hdr + 1 );
+
+		// Max place we could advance this cursor, and still fit in the payload
+		m_pMaxOut = m_pOut + ( k_cbSteamNetworkingSocketsMaxUDPMsgLen - sizeof(THdr) - cbPayload );
+		Assert( m_pMaxOut >= m_pOut );
+	}
+
+	int Finish()
+	{
+		Assert( m_pOut <= m_pMaxOut );
+
+		// Set header size
+		m_iov_out[0].iov_len = m_pOut - (uint8*)m_iov_out[0].iov_base;
+
+		return int( m_iov_out[0].iov_len + m_iov_out[1].iov_len );
+	}
+
+	THdr &hdr;
+	iovec *m_iov_out;
+};
+
 } // namespace SteamNetworkingSocketsLib
 
 #include <tier0/memdbgon.h>