diff --git a/common.go b/common.go
index 27923cfef..75f5f9ecb 100644
--- a/common.go
+++ b/common.go
@@ -96,28 +96,19 @@ func readVarInt(r io.Reader, pver uint32) (uint64, error) {
 // writeVarInt serializes val to w using a variable number of bytes depending
 // on its value.
 func writeVarInt(w io.Writer, pver uint32, val uint64) error {
-	if val > math.MaxUint32 {
-		err := writeElements(w, []byte{0xff}, uint64(val))
-		if err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
-		return nil
+	if val < 0xfd {
+		return writeElement(w, uint8(val))
 	}
-	if val > math.MaxUint16 {
-		err := writeElements(w, []byte{0xfe}, uint32(val))
-		if err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
-		return nil
+
+	if val <= math.MaxUint16 {
+		return writeElements(w, []byte{0xfd}, uint16(val))
 	}
-	if val >= 0xfd {
-		err := writeElements(w, []byte{0xfd}, uint16(val))
-		if err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
-		return nil
+
+	if val <= math.MaxUint32 {
+		return writeElements(w, []byte{0xfe}, uint32(val))
 	}
-	return writeElement(w, uint8(val))
+
+	return writeElements(w, []byte{0xff}, uint64(val))
 }
 
 // readVarString reads a variable length string from r and returns it as a Go
diff --git a/test_coverage.txt b/test_coverage.txt
index 9f5dcf317..3d90c5bd6 100644
--- a/test_coverage.txt
+++ b/test_coverage.txt
@@ -16,15 +16,14 @@ github.com/conformal/btcwire/msgblock.go	 MsgBlock.DeserializeTxLoc		 100.00% (1
 github.com/conformal/btcwire/msggetheaders.go	 MsgGetHeaders.BtcEncode		 100.00% (18/18)
 github.com/conformal/btcwire/msggetblocks.go	 MsgGetBlocks.BtcEncode			 100.00% (18/18)
 github.com/conformal/btcwire/msgheaders.go	 MsgHeaders.BtcDecode			 100.00% (17/17)
-github.com/conformal/btcwire/common.go		 writeVarInt				 100.00% (16/16)
+github.com/conformal/btcwire/msgblock.go	 MsgBlock.BtcDecode			 100.00% (15/15)
+github.com/conformal/btcwire/msgtx.go		 readTxOut				 100.00% (15/15)
 github.com/conformal/btcwire/msgaddr.go		 MsgAddr.BtcEncode			 100.00% (15/15)
 github.com/conformal/btcwire/shahash.go		 NewShaHashFromStr			 100.00% (15/15)
 github.com/conformal/btcwire/msgheaders.go	 MsgHeaders.BtcEncode			 100.00% (15/15)
-github.com/conformal/btcwire/msgblock.go	 MsgBlock.BtcDecode			 100.00% (15/15)
 github.com/conformal/btcwire/msgtx.go		 writeTxIn				 100.00% (15/15)
-github.com/conformal/btcwire/msgtx.go		 readTxOut				 100.00% (15/15)
-github.com/conformal/btcwire/msgaddr.go		 MsgAddr.BtcDecode			 100.00% (14/14)
 github.com/conformal/btcwire/msginv.go		 MsgInv.BtcDecode			 100.00% (14/14)
+github.com/conformal/btcwire/msgaddr.go		 MsgAddr.BtcDecode			 100.00% (14/14)
 github.com/conformal/btcwire/netaddress.go	 writeNetAddress			 100.00% (14/14)
 github.com/conformal/btcwire/msggetdata.go	 MsgGetData.BtcDecode			 100.00% (14/14)
 github.com/conformal/btcwire/msgnotfound.go	 MsgNotFound.BtcDecode			 100.00% (14/14)
@@ -32,39 +31,40 @@ github.com/conformal/btcwire/msginv.go		 MsgInv.BtcEncode			 100.00% (12/12)
 github.com/conformal/btcwire/msgnotfound.go	 MsgNotFound.BtcEncode			 100.00% (12/12)
 github.com/conformal/btcwire/msggetdata.go	 MsgGetData.BtcEncode			 100.00% (12/12)
 github.com/conformal/btcwire/protocol.go	 ServiceFlag.String			 100.00% (12/12)
-github.com/conformal/btcwire/msgtx.go		 writeTxOut				 100.00% (11/11)
 github.com/conformal/btcwire/common.go		 readVarString				 100.00% (11/11)
-github.com/conformal/btcwire/message.go		 discardInput				 100.00% (10/10)
+github.com/conformal/btcwire/msgtx.go		 writeTxOut				 100.00% (11/11)
 github.com/conformal/btcwire/blockheader.go	 readBlockHeader			 100.00% (10/10)
+github.com/conformal/btcwire/message.go		 discardInput				 100.00% (10/10)
 github.com/conformal/btcwire/msgblock.go	 MsgBlock.BtcEncode			 100.00% (9/9)
 github.com/conformal/btcwire/msgalert.go	 MsgAlert.BtcEncode			 100.00% (8/8)
 github.com/conformal/btcwire/msgalert.go	 MsgAlert.BtcDecode			 100.00% (8/8)
 github.com/conformal/btcwire/blockheader.go	 writeBlockHeader			 100.00% (8/8)
-github.com/conformal/btcwire/common.go		 randomUint64				 100.00% (7/7)
-github.com/conformal/btcwire/msgpong.go		 MsgPong.BtcEncode			 100.00% (7/7)
-github.com/conformal/btcwire/msgpong.go		 MsgPong.BtcDecode			 100.00% (7/7)
 github.com/conformal/btcwire/message.go		 readMessageHeader			 100.00% (7/7)
-github.com/conformal/btcwire/msgversion.go	 NewMsgVersionFromConn			 100.00% (7/7)
+github.com/conformal/btcwire/common.go		 randomUint64				 100.00% (7/7)
+github.com/conformal/btcwire/common.go		 writeVarInt				 100.00% (7/7)
+github.com/conformal/btcwire/msgpong.go		 MsgPong.BtcEncode			 100.00% (7/7)
 github.com/conformal/btcwire/common.go		 writeVarString				 100.00% (7/7)
+github.com/conformal/btcwire/msgpong.go		 MsgPong.BtcDecode			 100.00% (7/7)
+github.com/conformal/btcwire/msgversion.go	 NewMsgVersionFromConn			 100.00% (7/7)
 github.com/conformal/btcwire/common.go		 DoubleSha256				 100.00% (6/6)
 github.com/conformal/btcwire/msgnotfound.go	 MsgNotFound.AddInvVect			 100.00% (5/5)
-github.com/conformal/btcwire/msgaddr.go		 MsgAddr.AddAddresses			 100.00% (5/5)
-github.com/conformal/btcwire/msginv.go		 MsgInv.AddInvVect			 100.00% (5/5)
 github.com/conformal/btcwire/msgaddr.go		 MsgAddr.AddAddress			 100.00% (5/5)
+github.com/conformal/btcwire/msginv.go		 MsgInv.AddInvVect			 100.00% (5/5)
 github.com/conformal/btcwire/msggetblocks.go	 MsgGetBlocks.AddBlockLocatorHash	 100.00% (5/5)
 github.com/conformal/btcwire/msggetheaders.go	 MsgGetHeaders.AddBlockLocatorHash	 100.00% (5/5)
 github.com/conformal/btcwire/shahash.go		 NewShaHash				 100.00% (5/5)
 github.com/conformal/btcwire/msgheaders.go	 MsgHeaders.AddBlockHeader		 100.00% (5/5)
 github.com/conformal/btcwire/msggetdata.go	 MsgGetData.AddInvVect			 100.00% (5/5)
 github.com/conformal/btcwire/blockheader.go	 BlockHeader.BlockSha			 100.00% (5/5)
-github.com/conformal/btcwire/msgtx.go		 MsgTx.TxSha				 100.00% (5/5)
 github.com/conformal/btcwire/shahash.go		 ShaHash.SetBytes			 100.00% (5/5)
+github.com/conformal/btcwire/msgtx.go		 MsgTx.TxSha				 100.00% (5/5)
 github.com/conformal/btcwire/common.go		 readElements				 100.00% (5/5)
+github.com/conformal/btcwire/common.go		 writeElements				 100.00% (5/5)
 github.com/conformal/btcwire/msgping.go		 MsgPing.BtcEncode			 100.00% (5/5)
 github.com/conformal/btcwire/msgping.go		 MsgPing.BtcDecode			 100.00% (5/5)
-github.com/conformal/btcwire/common.go		 writeElements				 100.00% (5/5)
-github.com/conformal/btcwire/msgblock.go	 MsgBlock.TxShas			 100.00% (5/5)
 github.com/conformal/btcwire/netaddress.go	 NewNetAddress				 100.00% (5/5)
+github.com/conformal/btcwire/msgblock.go	 MsgBlock.TxShas			 100.00% (5/5)
+github.com/conformal/btcwire/msgaddr.go		 MsgAddr.AddAddresses			 100.00% (5/5)
 github.com/conformal/btcwire/invvect.go		 readInvVect				 100.00% (4/4)
 github.com/conformal/btcwire/invvect.go		 writeInvVect				 100.00% (4/4)
 github.com/conformal/btcwire/msgmempool.go	 MsgMemPool.BtcDecode			 100.00% (4/4)
@@ -154,5 +154,5 @@ github.com/conformal/btcwire/msggetaddr.go	 MsgGetAddr.BtcEncode			 100.00% (1/1
 github.com/conformal/btcwire/msginv.go		 MsgInv.Command				 100.00% (1/1)
 github.com/conformal/btcwire/msginv.go		 MsgInv.MaxPayloadLength		 100.00% (1/1)
 github.com/conformal/btcwire/msginv.go		 NewMsgInv				 100.00% (1/1)
-github.com/conformal/btcwire			 ---------------------------------	 100.00% (964/964)
+github.com/conformal/btcwire			 ---------------------------------	 100.00% (955/955)