diff --git a/chanbackup/single.go b/chanbackup/single.go
index e51700c88..3007559e0 100644
--- a/chanbackup/single.go
+++ b/chanbackup/single.go
@@ -265,8 +265,15 @@ func (s *Single) Serialize(w io.Writer) error {
 		return err
 	}
 
+	// TODO(yy): remove the type assertion when we finished refactoring db
+	// into using write buffer.
+	buf, ok := w.(*bytes.Buffer)
+	if !ok {
+		return fmt.Errorf("expect io.Writer to be *bytes.Buffer")
+	}
+
 	return lnwire.WriteElements(
-		w,
+		buf,
 		byte(s.Version),
 		uint16(len(singleBytes.Bytes())),
 		singleBytes.Bytes(),
diff --git a/channeldb/waitingproof.go b/channeldb/waitingproof.go
index b35586bf0..e8a09b758 100644
--- a/channeldb/waitingproof.go
+++ b/channeldb/waitingproof.go
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package channeldb
 
 import (
 	"encoding/binary"
+	"fmt"
 	"sync"
 
 	"io"
@@ -232,7 +233,14 @@ func (p *WaitingProof) Encode(w io.Writer) error {
 		return err
 	}
 
-	if err := p.AnnounceSignatures.Encode(w, 0); err != nil {
+	// TODO(yy): remove the type assertion when we finished refactoring db
+	// into using write buffer.
+	buf, ok := w.(*bytes.Buffer)
+	if !ok {
+		return fmt.Errorf("expect io.Writer to be *bytes.Buffer")
+	}
+
+	if err := p.AnnounceSignatures.Encode(buf, 0); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 
diff --git a/lnwire/accept_channel.go b/lnwire/accept_channel.go
index f88a1a08f..f356e8943 100644
--- a/lnwire/accept_channel.go
+++ b/lnwire/accept_channel.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package lnwire
 
 import (
+	"bytes"
 	"fmt"
 	"io"
 
@@ -115,7 +116,7 @@ var _ Message = (*AcceptChannel)(nil)
 // protocol version.
 //
 // This is part of the lnwire.Message interface.
-func (a *AcceptChannel) Encode(w io.Writer, pver uint32) error {
+func (a *AcceptChannel) Encode(w *bytes.Buffer, pver uint32) error {
 	// Since the upfront script is encoded as a TLV record, concatenate it
 	// with the ExtraData, and write them as one.
 	tlvRecords, err := packShutdownScript(
diff --git a/lnwire/announcement_signatures.go b/lnwire/announcement_signatures.go
index 41372db19..2550d1c1a 100644
--- a/lnwire/announcement_signatures.go
+++ b/lnwire/announcement_signatures.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package lnwire
 
 import (
+	"bytes"
 	"io"
 )
 
@@ -64,7 +65,7 @@ func (a *AnnounceSignatures) Decode(r io.Reader, pver uint32) error {
 // observing the protocol version specified.
 //
 // This is part of the lnwire.Message interface.
-func (a *AnnounceSignatures) Encode(w io.Writer, pver uint32) error {
+func (a *AnnounceSignatures) Encode(w *bytes.Buffer, pver uint32) error {
 	return WriteElements(w,
 		a.ChannelID,
 		a.ShortChannelID,
diff --git a/lnwire/channel_announcement.go b/lnwire/channel_announcement.go
index 865b7b52c..9e57d17bc 100644
--- a/lnwire/channel_announcement.go
+++ b/lnwire/channel_announcement.go
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ func (a *ChannelAnnouncement) Decode(r io.Reader, pver uint32) error {
 // observing the protocol version specified.
 //
 // This is part of the lnwire.Message interface.
-func (a *ChannelAnnouncement) Encode(w io.Writer, pver uint32) error {
+func (a *ChannelAnnouncement) Encode(w *bytes.Buffer, pver uint32) error {
 	return WriteElements(w,
 		a.NodeSig1,
 		a.NodeSig2,
diff --git a/lnwire/channel_reestablish.go b/lnwire/channel_reestablish.go
index ebf2fcc1f..44cc6f3f6 100644
--- a/lnwire/channel_reestablish.go
+++ b/lnwire/channel_reestablish.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package lnwire
 
 import (
+	"bytes"
 	"io"
 
 	"github.com/btcsuite/btcd/btcec"
@@ -75,7 +76,7 @@ var _ Message = (*ChannelReestablish)(nil)
 // observing the protocol version specified.
 //
 // This is part of the lnwire.Message interface.
-func (a *ChannelReestablish) Encode(w io.Writer, pver uint32) error {
+func (a *ChannelReestablish) Encode(w *bytes.Buffer, pver uint32) error {
 	err := WriteElements(w,
 		a.ChanID,
 		a.NextLocalCommitHeight,
diff --git a/lnwire/channel_update.go b/lnwire/channel_update.go
index 87a7d30a1..e1bac9f96 100644
--- a/lnwire/channel_update.go
+++ b/lnwire/channel_update.go
@@ -159,7 +159,7 @@ func (a *ChannelUpdate) Decode(r io.Reader, pver uint32) error {
 // observing the protocol version specified.
 //
 // This is part of the lnwire.Message interface.
-func (a *ChannelUpdate) Encode(w io.Writer, pver uint32) error {
+func (a *ChannelUpdate) Encode(w *bytes.Buffer, pver uint32) error {
 	err := WriteElements(w,
 		a.Signature,
 		a.ChainHash[:],
diff --git a/lnwire/closing_signed.go b/lnwire/closing_signed.go
index 3e4dcdf26..66ccb7bcb 100644
--- a/lnwire/closing_signed.go
+++ b/lnwire/closing_signed.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package lnwire
 
 import (
+	"bytes"
 	"io"
 
 	"github.com/btcsuite/btcutil"
@@ -63,7 +64,7 @@ func (c *ClosingSigned) Decode(r io.Reader, pver uint32) error {
 // observing the protocol version specified.
 //
 // This is part of the lnwire.Message interface.
-func (c *ClosingSigned) Encode(w io.Writer, pver uint32) error {
+func (c *ClosingSigned) Encode(w *bytes.Buffer, pver uint32) error {
 	return WriteElements(
 		w, c.ChannelID, c.FeeSatoshis, c.Signature, c.ExtraData,
 	)
diff --git a/lnwire/commit_sig.go b/lnwire/commit_sig.go
index 3251fe8dc..59a785a0d 100644
--- a/lnwire/commit_sig.go
+++ b/lnwire/commit_sig.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package lnwire
 
 import (
+	"bytes"
 	"io"
 )
 
@@ -69,7 +70,7 @@ func (c *CommitSig) Decode(r io.Reader, pver uint32) error {
 // observing the protocol version specified.
 //
 // This is part of the lnwire.Message interface.
-func (c *CommitSig) Encode(w io.Writer, pver uint32) error {
+func (c *CommitSig) Encode(w *bytes.Buffer, pver uint32) error {
 	return WriteElements(w,
 		c.ChanID,
 		c.CommitSig,
diff --git a/lnwire/error.go b/lnwire/error.go
index 0aa2d4c31..0b95607f2 100644
--- a/lnwire/error.go
+++ b/lnwire/error.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package lnwire
 
 import (
+	"bytes"
 	"fmt"
 	"io"
 )
@@ -103,7 +104,7 @@ func (c *Error) Decode(r io.Reader, pver uint32) error {
 // protocol version specified.
 //
 // This is part of the lnwire.Message interface.
-func (c *Error) Encode(w io.Writer, pver uint32) error {
+func (c *Error) Encode(w *bytes.Buffer, pver uint32) error {
 	return WriteElements(w,
 		c.ChanID,
 		c.Data,
diff --git a/lnwire/extra_bytes.go b/lnwire/extra_bytes.go
index 22fd20bd8..f2dbec45b 100644
--- a/lnwire/extra_bytes.go
+++ b/lnwire/extra_bytes.go
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ import (
 type ExtraOpaqueData []byte
 
 // Encode attempts to encode the raw extra bytes into the passed io.Writer.
-func (e *ExtraOpaqueData) Encode(w io.Writer) error {
+func (e *ExtraOpaqueData) Encode(w *bytes.Buffer) error {
 	eBytes := []byte((*e)[:])
 	if err := WriteElements(w, eBytes); err != nil {
 		return err
diff --git a/lnwire/funding_created.go b/lnwire/funding_created.go
index 0f10214ed..6ca8c1b01 100644
--- a/lnwire/funding_created.go
+++ b/lnwire/funding_created.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package lnwire
 
 import (
+	"bytes"
 	"io"
 
 	"github.com/btcsuite/btcd/wire"
@@ -40,7 +41,7 @@ var _ Message = (*FundingCreated)(nil)
 // protocol version.
 //
 // This is part of the lnwire.Message interface.
-func (f *FundingCreated) Encode(w io.Writer, pver uint32) error {
+func (f *FundingCreated) Encode(w *bytes.Buffer, pver uint32) error {
 	return WriteElements(
 		w, f.PendingChannelID[:], f.FundingPoint, f.CommitSig,
 		f.ExtraData,
diff --git a/lnwire/funding_locked.go b/lnwire/funding_locked.go
index 0f8e4ca1e..7c3b2eb3a 100644
--- a/lnwire/funding_locked.go
+++ b/lnwire/funding_locked.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package lnwire
 
 import (
+	"bytes"
 	"io"
 
 	"github.com/btcsuite/btcd/btcec"
@@ -58,7 +59,7 @@ func (c *FundingLocked) Decode(r io.Reader, pver uint32) error {
 // protocol version.
 //
 // This is part of the lnwire.Message interface.
-func (c *FundingLocked) Encode(w io.Writer, pver uint32) error {
+func (c *FundingLocked) Encode(w *bytes.Buffer, pver uint32) error {
 	return WriteElements(w,
 		c.ChanID,
 		c.NextPerCommitmentPoint,
diff --git a/lnwire/funding_signed.go b/lnwire/funding_signed.go
index 15c62cf05..d45fbd40e 100644
--- a/lnwire/funding_signed.go
+++ b/lnwire/funding_signed.go
@@ -1,6 +1,9 @@
 package lnwire
 
-import "io"
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"io"
+)
 
 // FundingSigned is sent from Bob (the responder) to Alice (the initiator)
 // after receiving the funding outpoint and her signature for Bob's version of
@@ -29,7 +32,7 @@ var _ Message = (*FundingSigned)(nil)
 // protocol version.
 //
 // This is part of the lnwire.Message interface.
-func (f *FundingSigned) Encode(w io.Writer, pver uint32) error {
+func (f *FundingSigned) Encode(w *bytes.Buffer, pver uint32) error {
 	return WriteElements(w, f.ChanID, f.CommitSig, f.ExtraData)
 }
 
diff --git a/lnwire/gossip_timestamp_range.go b/lnwire/gossip_timestamp_range.go
index 6827b9818..e9665d157 100644
--- a/lnwire/gossip_timestamp_range.go
+++ b/lnwire/gossip_timestamp_range.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package lnwire
 
 import (
+	"bytes"
 	"io"
 
 	"github.com/btcsuite/btcd/chaincfg/chainhash"
@@ -57,7 +58,7 @@ func (g *GossipTimestampRange) Decode(r io.Reader, pver uint32) error {
 // observing the protocol version specified.
 //
 // This is part of the lnwire.Message interface.
-func (g *GossipTimestampRange) Encode(w io.Writer, pver uint32) error {
+func (g *GossipTimestampRange) Encode(w *bytes.Buffer, pver uint32) error {
 	return WriteElements(w,
 		g.ChainHash[:],
 		g.FirstTimestamp,
diff --git a/lnwire/init_message.go b/lnwire/init_message.go
index 18fa693b4..be25642e1 100644
--- a/lnwire/init_message.go
+++ b/lnwire/init_message.go
@@ -1,6 +1,9 @@
 package lnwire
 
-import "io"
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"io"
+)
 
 // Init is the first message reveals the features supported or required by this
 // node. Nodes wait for receipt of the other's features to simplify error
@@ -56,7 +59,7 @@ func (msg *Init) Decode(r io.Reader, pver uint32) error {
 // the protocol version specified.
 //
 // This is part of the lnwire.Message interface.
-func (msg *Init) Encode(w io.Writer, pver uint32) error {
+func (msg *Init) Encode(w *bytes.Buffer, pver uint32) error {
 	return WriteElements(w,
 		msg.GlobalFeatures,
 		msg.Features,
diff --git a/lnwire/lnwire.go b/lnwire/lnwire.go
index c180cad38..8400c210e 100644
--- a/lnwire/lnwire.go
+++ b/lnwire/lnwire.go
@@ -75,13 +75,8 @@ func (a addressType) AddrLen() uint16 {
 }
 
 // WriteElement is a one-stop shop to write the big endian representation of
-// any element which is to be serialized for the wire protocol. The passed
-// io.Writer should be backed by an appropriately sized byte slice, or be able
-// to dynamically expand to accommodate additional data.
-//
-// TODO(roasbeef): this should eventually draw from a buffer pool for
-// serialization.
-func WriteElement(w io.Writer, element interface{}) error {
+// any element which is to be serialized for the wire protocol.
+func WriteElement(w *bytes.Buffer, element interface{}) error {
 	switch e := element.(type) {
 	case NodeAlias:
 		if _, err := w.Write(e[:]); err != nil {
@@ -437,10 +432,10 @@ func WriteElement(w io.Writer, element interface{}) error {
 }
 
 // WriteElements is writes each element in the elements slice to the passed
-// io.Writer using WriteElement.
-func WriteElements(w io.Writer, elements ...interface{}) error {
+// buffer using WriteElement.
+func WriteElements(buf *bytes.Buffer, elements ...interface{}) error {
 	for _, element := range elements {
-		err := WriteElement(w, element)
+		err := WriteElement(buf, element)
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
diff --git a/lnwire/message.go b/lnwire/message.go
index 466dc50f2..ccd24d10b 100644
--- a/lnwire/message.go
+++ b/lnwire/message.go
@@ -158,8 +158,8 @@ type Serializable interface {
 	Decode(io.Reader, uint32) error
 
 	// Encode converts object to the bytes stream and write it into the
-	// writer.
-	Encode(io.Writer, uint32) error
+	// write buffer.
+	Encode(*bytes.Buffer, uint32) error
 }
 
 // Message is an interface that defines a lightning wire protocol message. The
diff --git a/lnwire/message_test.go b/lnwire/message_test.go
index 4626eb3e7..55e0c0153 100644
--- a/lnwire/message_test.go
+++ b/lnwire/message_test.go
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ func (m *mockMsg) Decode(r io.Reader, pver uint32) error {
 	return args.Error(0)
 }
 
-func (m *mockMsg) Encode(w io.Writer, pver uint32) error {
+func (m *mockMsg) Encode(w *bytes.Buffer, pver uint32) error {
 	args := m.Called(w, pver)
 	return args.Error(0)
 }
diff --git a/lnwire/node_announcement.go b/lnwire/node_announcement.go
index 540137aae..664bda84d 100644
--- a/lnwire/node_announcement.go
+++ b/lnwire/node_announcement.go
@@ -124,7 +124,7 @@ func (a *NodeAnnouncement) Decode(r io.Reader, pver uint32) error {
 // Encode serializes the target NodeAnnouncement into the passed io.Writer
 // observing the protocol version specified.
 //
-func (a *NodeAnnouncement) Encode(w io.Writer, pver uint32) error {
+func (a *NodeAnnouncement) Encode(w *bytes.Buffer, pver uint32) error {
 	return WriteElements(w,
 		a.Signature,
 		a.Features,
diff --git a/lnwire/onion_error.go b/lnwire/onion_error.go
index 35555e266..f9c86db61 100644
--- a/lnwire/onion_error.go
+++ b/lnwire/onion_error.go
@@ -419,7 +419,7 @@ func (f *FailIncorrectDetails) Decode(r io.Reader, pver uint32) error {
 // Encode writes the failure in bytes stream.
 //
 // NOTE: Part of the Serializable interface.
-func (f *FailIncorrectDetails) Encode(w io.Writer, pver uint32) error {
+func (f *FailIncorrectDetails) Encode(w *bytes.Buffer, pver uint32) error {
 	return WriteElements(w, f.amount, f.height)
 }
 
@@ -485,7 +485,7 @@ func (f *FailInvalidOnionVersion) Decode(r io.Reader, pver uint32) error {
 // Encode writes the failure in bytes stream.
 //
 // NOTE: Part of the Serializable interface.
-func (f *FailInvalidOnionVersion) Encode(w io.Writer, pver uint32) error {
+func (f *FailInvalidOnionVersion) Encode(w *bytes.Buffer, pver uint32) error {
 	return WriteElement(w, f.OnionSHA256[:])
 }
 
@@ -519,7 +519,7 @@ func (f *FailInvalidOnionHmac) Decode(r io.Reader, pver uint32) error {
 // Encode writes the failure in bytes stream.
 //
 // NOTE: Part of the Serializable interface.
-func (f *FailInvalidOnionHmac) Encode(w io.Writer, pver uint32) error {
+func (f *FailInvalidOnionHmac) Encode(w *bytes.Buffer, pver uint32) error {
 	return WriteElement(w, f.OnionSHA256[:])
 }
 
@@ -561,7 +561,7 @@ func (f *FailInvalidOnionKey) Decode(r io.Reader, pver uint32) error {
 // Encode writes the failure in bytes stream.
 //
 // NOTE: Part of the Serializable interface.
-func (f *FailInvalidOnionKey) Encode(w io.Writer, pver uint32) error {
+func (f *FailInvalidOnionKey) Encode(w *bytes.Buffer, pver uint32) error {
 	return WriteElement(w, f.OnionSHA256[:])
 }
 
@@ -670,7 +670,9 @@ func (f *FailTemporaryChannelFailure) Decode(r io.Reader, pver uint32) error {
 // Encode writes the failure in bytes stream.
 //
 // NOTE: Part of the Serializable interface.
-func (f *FailTemporaryChannelFailure) Encode(w io.Writer, pver uint32) error {
+func (f *FailTemporaryChannelFailure) Encode(w *bytes.Buffer,
+	pver uint32) error {
+
 	var payload []byte
 	if f.Update != nil {
 		var bw bytes.Buffer
@@ -749,7 +751,7 @@ func (f *FailAmountBelowMinimum) Decode(r io.Reader, pver uint32) error {
 // Encode writes the failure in bytes stream.
 //
 // NOTE: Part of the Serializable interface.
-func (f *FailAmountBelowMinimum) Encode(w io.Writer, pver uint32) error {
+func (f *FailAmountBelowMinimum) Encode(w *bytes.Buffer, pver uint32) error {
 	if err := WriteElement(w, f.HtlcMsat); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
@@ -817,7 +819,7 @@ func (f *FailFeeInsufficient) Decode(r io.Reader, pver uint32) error {
 // Encode writes the failure in bytes stream.
 //
 // NOTE: Part of the Serializable interface.
-func (f *FailFeeInsufficient) Encode(w io.Writer, pver uint32) error {
+func (f *FailFeeInsufficient) Encode(w *bytes.Buffer, pver uint32) error {
 	if err := WriteElement(w, f.HtlcMsat); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
@@ -885,7 +887,7 @@ func (f *FailIncorrectCltvExpiry) Decode(r io.Reader, pver uint32) error {
 // Encode writes the failure in bytes stream.
 //
 // NOTE: Part of the Serializable interface.
-func (f *FailIncorrectCltvExpiry) Encode(w io.Writer, pver uint32) error {
+func (f *FailIncorrectCltvExpiry) Encode(w *bytes.Buffer, pver uint32) error {
 	if err := WriteElement(w, f.CltvExpiry); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
@@ -942,7 +944,7 @@ func (f *FailExpiryTooSoon) Decode(r io.Reader, pver uint32) error {
 // Encode writes the failure in bytes stream.
 //
 // NOTE: Part of the Serializable interface.
-func (f *FailExpiryTooSoon) Encode(w io.Writer, pver uint32) error {
+func (f *FailExpiryTooSoon) Encode(w *bytes.Buffer, pver uint32) error {
 	return writeOnionErrorChanUpdate(w, &f.Update, pver)
 }
 
@@ -1006,7 +1008,7 @@ func (f *FailChannelDisabled) Decode(r io.Reader, pver uint32) error {
 // Encode writes the failure in bytes stream.
 //
 // NOTE: Part of the Serializable interface.
-func (f *FailChannelDisabled) Encode(w io.Writer, pver uint32) error {
+func (f *FailChannelDisabled) Encode(w *bytes.Buffer, pver uint32) error {
 	if err := WriteElement(w, f.Flags); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
@@ -1056,7 +1058,9 @@ func (f *FailFinalIncorrectCltvExpiry) Decode(r io.Reader, pver uint32) error {
 // Encode writes the failure in bytes stream.
 //
 // NOTE: Part of the Serializable interface.
-func (f *FailFinalIncorrectCltvExpiry) Encode(w io.Writer, pver uint32) error {
+func (f *FailFinalIncorrectCltvExpiry) Encode(w *bytes.Buffer,
+	pver uint32) error {
+
 	return WriteElement(w, f.CltvExpiry)
 }
 
@@ -1102,7 +1106,9 @@ func (f *FailFinalIncorrectHtlcAmount) Decode(r io.Reader, pver uint32) error {
 // Encode writes the failure in bytes stream.
 //
 // NOTE: Part of the Serializable interface.
-func (f *FailFinalIncorrectHtlcAmount) Encode(w io.Writer, pver uint32) error {
+func (f *FailFinalIncorrectHtlcAmount) Encode(w *bytes.Buffer,
+	pver uint32) error {
+
 	return WriteElement(w, f.IncomingHTLCAmount)
 }
 
@@ -1177,7 +1183,7 @@ func (f *InvalidOnionPayload) Decode(r io.Reader, pver uint32) error {
 // Encode writes the failure in bytes stream.
 //
 // NOTE: Part of the Serializable interface.
-func (f *InvalidOnionPayload) Encode(w io.Writer, pver uint32) error {
+func (f *InvalidOnionPayload) Encode(w *bytes.Buffer, pver uint32) error {
 	var buf [8]byte
 	if err := tlv.WriteVarInt(w, f.Type, &buf); err != nil {
 		return err
@@ -1263,7 +1269,7 @@ func DecodeFailureMessage(r io.Reader, pver uint32) (FailureMessage, error) {
 
 // EncodeFailure encodes, including the necessary onion failure header
 // information.
-func EncodeFailure(w io.Writer, failure FailureMessage, pver uint32) error {
+func EncodeFailure(w *bytes.Buffer, failure FailureMessage, pver uint32) error {
 	var failureMessageBuffer bytes.Buffer
 
 	err := EncodeFailureMessage(&failureMessageBuffer, failure, pver)
@@ -1293,7 +1299,9 @@ func EncodeFailure(w io.Writer, failure FailureMessage, pver uint32) error {
 
 // EncodeFailureMessage encodes just the failure message without adding a length
 // and padding the message for the onion protocol.
-func EncodeFailureMessage(w io.Writer, failure FailureMessage, pver uint32) error {
+func EncodeFailureMessage(w *bytes.Buffer,
+	failure FailureMessage, pver uint32) error {
+
 	// First, we'll write out the error code itself into the failure
 	// buffer.
 	var codeBytes [2]byte
@@ -1401,7 +1409,7 @@ func makeEmptyOnionError(code FailCode) (FailureMessage, error) {
 // writeOnionErrorChanUpdate writes out a ChannelUpdate using the onion error
 // format. The format is that we first write out the true serialized length of
 // the channel update, followed by the serialized channel update itself.
-func writeOnionErrorChanUpdate(w io.Writer, chanUpdate *ChannelUpdate,
+func writeOnionErrorChanUpdate(w *bytes.Buffer, chanUpdate *ChannelUpdate,
 	pver uint32) error {
 
 	// First, we encode the channel update in a temporary buffer in order
diff --git a/lnwire/onion_error_test.go b/lnwire/onion_error_test.go
index 8c4c131c6..927b6ee9c 100644
--- a/lnwire/onion_error_test.go
+++ b/lnwire/onion_error_test.go
@@ -275,6 +275,8 @@ func (f *mockFailIncorrectDetailsNoHeight) Decode(r io.Reader, pver uint32) erro
 	return nil
 }
 
-func (f *mockFailIncorrectDetailsNoHeight) Encode(w io.Writer, pver uint32) error {
+func (f *mockFailIncorrectDetailsNoHeight) Encode(w *bytes.Buffer,
+	pver uint32) error {
+
 	return WriteElement(w, f.amount)
 }
diff --git a/lnwire/open_channel.go b/lnwire/open_channel.go
index 9407d0037..d975749d2 100644
--- a/lnwire/open_channel.go
+++ b/lnwire/open_channel.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package lnwire
 
 import (
+	"bytes"
 	"io"
 
 	"github.com/btcsuite/btcd/btcec"
@@ -150,7 +151,7 @@ var _ Message = (*OpenChannel)(nil)
 // protocol version.
 //
 // This is part of the lnwire.Message interface.
-func (o *OpenChannel) Encode(w io.Writer, pver uint32) error {
+func (o *OpenChannel) Encode(w *bytes.Buffer, pver uint32) error {
 	// Since the upfront script is encoded as a TLV record, concatenate it
 	// with the ExtraData, and write them as one.
 	tlvRecords, err := packShutdownScript(
diff --git a/lnwire/ping.go b/lnwire/ping.go
index e7e160d44..9218fe7f6 100644
--- a/lnwire/ping.go
+++ b/lnwire/ping.go
@@ -1,6 +1,9 @@
 package lnwire
 
-import "io"
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"io"
+)
 
 // PingPayload is a set of opaque bytes used to pad out a ping message.
 type PingPayload []byte
@@ -44,7 +47,7 @@ func (p *Ping) Decode(r io.Reader, pver uint32) error {
 // protocol version specified.
 //
 // This is part of the lnwire.Message interface.
-func (p *Ping) Encode(w io.Writer, pver uint32) error {
+func (p *Ping) Encode(w *bytes.Buffer, pver uint32) error {
 	return WriteElements(w,
 		p.NumPongBytes,
 		p.PaddingBytes)
diff --git a/lnwire/pong.go b/lnwire/pong.go
index b0d54523b..6c70c120f 100644
--- a/lnwire/pong.go
+++ b/lnwire/pong.go
@@ -1,6 +1,9 @@
 package lnwire
 
-import "io"
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"io"
+)
 
 // PongPayload is a set of opaque bytes sent in response to a ping message.
 type PongPayload []byte
@@ -40,7 +43,7 @@ func (p *Pong) Decode(r io.Reader, pver uint32) error {
 // protocol version specified.
 //
 // This is part of the lnwire.Message interface.
-func (p *Pong) Encode(w io.Writer, pver uint32) error {
+func (p *Pong) Encode(w *bytes.Buffer, pver uint32) error {
 	return WriteElements(w,
 		p.PongBytes,
 	)
diff --git a/lnwire/query_channel_range.go b/lnwire/query_channel_range.go
index 167a4c64e..a6a20e1fd 100644
--- a/lnwire/query_channel_range.go
+++ b/lnwire/query_channel_range.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package lnwire
 
 import (
+	"bytes"
 	"io"
 	"math"
 
@@ -58,7 +59,7 @@ func (q *QueryChannelRange) Decode(r io.Reader, pver uint32) error {
 // observing the protocol version specified.
 //
 // This is part of the lnwire.Message interface.
-func (q *QueryChannelRange) Encode(w io.Writer, pver uint32) error {
+func (q *QueryChannelRange) Encode(w *bytes.Buffer, pver uint32) error {
 	return WriteElements(w,
 		q.ChainHash[:],
 		q.FirstBlockHeight,
diff --git a/lnwire/query_short_chan_ids.go b/lnwire/query_short_chan_ids.go
index 92ffaf585..930becdbb 100644
--- a/lnwire/query_short_chan_ids.go
+++ b/lnwire/query_short_chan_ids.go
@@ -291,7 +291,7 @@ func decodeShortChanIDs(r io.Reader) (ShortChanIDEncoding, []ShortChannelID, err
 // observing the protocol version specified.
 //
 // This is part of the lnwire.Message interface.
-func (q *QueryShortChanIDs) Encode(w io.Writer, pver uint32) error {
+func (q *QueryShortChanIDs) Encode(w *bytes.Buffer, pver uint32) error {
 	// First, we'll write out the chain hash.
 	err := WriteElements(w, q.ChainHash[:])
 	if err != nil {
@@ -310,7 +310,7 @@ func (q *QueryShortChanIDs) Encode(w io.Writer, pver uint32) error {
 
 // encodeShortChanIDs encodes the passed short channel ID's into the passed
 // io.Writer, respecting the specified encoding type.
-func encodeShortChanIDs(w io.Writer, encodingType ShortChanIDEncoding,
+func encodeShortChanIDs(w *bytes.Buffer, encodingType ShortChanIDEncoding,
 	shortChanIDs []ShortChannelID, noSort bool) error {
 
 	// For both of the current encoding types, the channel ID's are to be
@@ -360,29 +360,40 @@ func encodeShortChanIDs(w io.Writer, encodingType ShortChanIDEncoding,
 	// TODO(roasbeef): assumes the caller knows the proper chunk size to
 	// pass to avoid bin-packing here
 	case EncodingSortedZlib:
-		// We'll make a new buffer, then wrap that with a zlib writer
-		// so we can write directly to the buffer and encode in a
-		// streaming manner.
-		var buf bytes.Buffer
-		zlibWriter := zlib.NewWriter(&buf)
-
 		// If we don't have anything at all to write, then we'll write
 		// an empty payload so we don't include things like the zlib
 		// header when the remote party is expecting no actual short
 		// channel IDs.
 		var compressedPayload []byte
 		if len(shortChanIDs) > 0 {
+			// We'll make a new write buffer to hold the bytes of
+			// shortChanIDs.
+			var wb bytes.Buffer
+
 			// Next, we'll write out all the channel ID's directly
 			// into the zlib writer, which will do compressing on
 			// the fly.
 			for _, chanID := range shortChanIDs {
-				err := WriteElements(zlibWriter, chanID)
+				err := WriteElements(&wb, chanID)
 				if err != nil {
-					return fmt.Errorf("unable to write short chan "+
-						"ID: %v", err)
+					return fmt.Errorf(
+						"unable to write short chan "+
+							"ID: %v", err,
+					)
 				}
 			}
 
+			// With shortChanIDs written into wb, we'll create a
+			// zlib writer and write all the compressed bytes.
+			var zlibBuffer bytes.Buffer
+			zlibWriter := zlib.NewWriter(&zlibBuffer)
+
+			if _, err := zlibWriter.Write(wb.Bytes()); err != nil {
+				return fmt.Errorf(
+					"unable to write compressed short chan"+
+						"ID: %w", err)
+			}
+
 			// Now that we've written all the elements, we'll
 			// ensure the compressed stream is written to the
 			// underlying buffer.
@@ -391,7 +402,7 @@ func encodeShortChanIDs(w io.Writer, encodingType ShortChanIDEncoding,
 					"compression: %v", err)
 			}
 
-			compressedPayload = buf.Bytes()
+			compressedPayload = zlibBuffer.Bytes()
 		}
 
 		// Now that we have all the items compressed, we can compute
diff --git a/lnwire/reply_channel_range.go b/lnwire/reply_channel_range.go
index 2e8085c65..00bb10eb2 100644
--- a/lnwire/reply_channel_range.go
+++ b/lnwire/reply_channel_range.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package lnwire
 
 import (
+	"bytes"
 	"io"
 	"math"
 
@@ -85,7 +86,7 @@ func (c *ReplyChannelRange) Decode(r io.Reader, pver uint32) error {
 // observing the protocol version specified.
 //
 // This is part of the lnwire.Message interface.
-func (c *ReplyChannelRange) Encode(w io.Writer, pver uint32) error {
+func (c *ReplyChannelRange) Encode(w *bytes.Buffer, pver uint32) error {
 	err := WriteElements(w,
 		c.ChainHash[:],
 		c.FirstBlockHeight,
diff --git a/lnwire/reply_short_chan_ids_end.go b/lnwire/reply_short_chan_ids_end.go
index 2280dee4b..6d909febf 100644
--- a/lnwire/reply_short_chan_ids_end.go
+++ b/lnwire/reply_short_chan_ids_end.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package lnwire
 
 import (
+	"bytes"
 	"io"
 
 	"github.com/btcsuite/btcd/chaincfg/chainhash"
@@ -54,7 +55,7 @@ func (c *ReplyShortChanIDsEnd) Decode(r io.Reader, pver uint32) error {
 // observing the protocol version specified.
 //
 // This is part of the lnwire.Message interface.
-func (c *ReplyShortChanIDsEnd) Encode(w io.Writer, pver uint32) error {
+func (c *ReplyShortChanIDsEnd) Encode(w *bytes.Buffer, pver uint32) error {
 	return WriteElements(w,
 		c.ChainHash[:],
 		c.Complete,
diff --git a/lnwire/revoke_and_ack.go b/lnwire/revoke_and_ack.go
index 6562547fe..acbfcae6e 100644
--- a/lnwire/revoke_and_ack.go
+++ b/lnwire/revoke_and_ack.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package lnwire
 
 import (
+	"bytes"
 	"io"
 
 	"github.com/btcsuite/btcd/btcec"
@@ -65,7 +66,7 @@ func (c *RevokeAndAck) Decode(r io.Reader, pver uint32) error {
 // observing the protocol version specified.
 //
 // This is part of the lnwire.Message interface.
-func (c *RevokeAndAck) Encode(w io.Writer, pver uint32) error {
+func (c *RevokeAndAck) Encode(w *bytes.Buffer, pver uint32) error {
 	return WriteElements(w,
 		c.ChanID,
 		c.Revocation[:],
diff --git a/lnwire/shutdown.go b/lnwire/shutdown.go
index 4eec13523..e7b26283b 100644
--- a/lnwire/shutdown.go
+++ b/lnwire/shutdown.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package lnwire
 
 import (
+	"bytes"
 	"io"
 )
 
@@ -46,7 +47,7 @@ func (s *Shutdown) Decode(r io.Reader, pver uint32) error {
 // the protocol version specified.
 //
 // This is part of the lnwire.Message interface.
-func (s *Shutdown) Encode(w io.Writer, pver uint32) error {
+func (s *Shutdown) Encode(w *bytes.Buffer, pver uint32) error {
 	return WriteElements(w, s.ChannelID, s.Address, s.ExtraData)
 }
 
diff --git a/lnwire/update_add_htlc.go b/lnwire/update_add_htlc.go
index 35fc5fc36..a7756994c 100644
--- a/lnwire/update_add_htlc.go
+++ b/lnwire/update_add_htlc.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package lnwire
 
 import (
+	"bytes"
 	"io"
 )
 
@@ -88,7 +89,7 @@ func (c *UpdateAddHTLC) Decode(r io.Reader, pver uint32) error {
 // the protocol version specified.
 //
 // This is part of the lnwire.Message interface.
-func (c *UpdateAddHTLC) Encode(w io.Writer, pver uint32) error {
+func (c *UpdateAddHTLC) Encode(w *bytes.Buffer, pver uint32) error {
 	return WriteElements(w,
 		c.ChanID,
 		c.ID,
diff --git a/lnwire/update_fail_htlc.go b/lnwire/update_fail_htlc.go
index 8706c1dc8..2344b5683 100644
--- a/lnwire/update_fail_htlc.go
+++ b/lnwire/update_fail_htlc.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package lnwire
 
 import (
+	"bytes"
 	"io"
 )
 
@@ -54,7 +55,7 @@ func (c *UpdateFailHTLC) Decode(r io.Reader, pver uint32) error {
 // the protocol version specified.
 //
 // This is part of the lnwire.Message interface.
-func (c *UpdateFailHTLC) Encode(w io.Writer, pver uint32) error {
+func (c *UpdateFailHTLC) Encode(w *bytes.Buffer, pver uint32) error {
 	return WriteElements(w,
 		c.ChanID,
 		c.ID,
diff --git a/lnwire/update_fail_malformed_htlc.go b/lnwire/update_fail_malformed_htlc.go
index e7994fccc..120f89541 100644
--- a/lnwire/update_fail_malformed_htlc.go
+++ b/lnwire/update_fail_malformed_htlc.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package lnwire
 
 import (
+	"bytes"
 	"crypto/sha256"
 	"io"
 )
@@ -53,7 +54,7 @@ func (c *UpdateFailMalformedHTLC) Decode(r io.Reader, pver uint32) error {
 // io.Writer observing the protocol version specified.
 //
 // This is part of the lnwire.Message interface.
-func (c *UpdateFailMalformedHTLC) Encode(w io.Writer, pver uint32) error {
+func (c *UpdateFailMalformedHTLC) Encode(w *bytes.Buffer, pver uint32) error {
 	return WriteElements(w,
 		c.ChanID,
 		c.ID,
diff --git a/lnwire/update_fee.go b/lnwire/update_fee.go
index 375b5c671..a30634d79 100644
--- a/lnwire/update_fee.go
+++ b/lnwire/update_fee.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package lnwire
 
 import (
+	"bytes"
 	"io"
 )
 
@@ -51,7 +52,7 @@ func (c *UpdateFee) Decode(r io.Reader, pver uint32) error {
 // observing the protocol version specified.
 //
 // This is part of the lnwire.Message interface.
-func (c *UpdateFee) Encode(w io.Writer, pver uint32) error {
+func (c *UpdateFee) Encode(w *bytes.Buffer, pver uint32) error {
 	return WriteElements(w,
 		c.ChanID,
 		c.FeePerKw,
diff --git a/lnwire/update_fulfill_htlc.go b/lnwire/update_fulfill_htlc.go
index 2b7f2e494..4cd3a9720 100644
--- a/lnwire/update_fulfill_htlc.go
+++ b/lnwire/update_fulfill_htlc.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package lnwire
 
 import (
+	"bytes"
 	"io"
 )
 
@@ -60,7 +61,7 @@ func (c *UpdateFulfillHTLC) Decode(r io.Reader, pver uint32) error {
 // observing the protocol version specified.
 //
 // This is part of the lnwire.Message interface.
-func (c *UpdateFulfillHTLC) Encode(w io.Writer, pver uint32) error {
+func (c *UpdateFulfillHTLC) Encode(w *bytes.Buffer, pver uint32) error {
 	return WriteElements(w,
 		c.ChanID,
 		c.ID,