diff --git a/include/fc/config.hpp b/include/fc/config.hpp
index d08eaf16f..a67a22d6e 100644
--- a/include/fc/config.hpp
+++ b/include/fc/config.hpp
@@ -6,4 +6,9 @@
 #ifndef FC_MAX_LOG_OBJECT_DEPTH
    // how many levels of nested objects are displayed in log messages
    #define FC_MAX_LOG_OBJECT_DEPTH 200
-#endif
\ No newline at end of file
+#endif
+
+#ifndef FC_MAX_PREALLOC_SIZE
+// how many elements will be reserve()d when deserializing vectors
+#define FC_MAX_PREALLOC_SIZE (256UL)
+#endif
diff --git a/include/fc/container/flat.hpp b/include/fc/container/flat.hpp
index fac5869b7..5cac53e69 100644
--- a/include/fc/container/flat.hpp
+++ b/include/fc/container/flat.hpp
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ namespace fc {
          unsigned_int size; unpack( s, size, _max_depth );
          value.clear();
          FC_ASSERT( size.value*sizeof(T) < MAX_ARRAY_ALLOC_SIZE );
-         value.reserve(size.value);
+         value.reserve( std::min( size.value, FC_MAX_PREALLOC_SIZE ) );
          for( uint32_t i = 0; i < size.value; ++i )
          {
              T tmp;
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ namespace fc {
          unsigned_int size; unpack( s, size, _max_depth );
          value.clear();
          FC_ASSERT( size.value*(sizeof(K)+sizeof(V)) < MAX_ARRAY_ALLOC_SIZE );
-         value.reserve(size.value);
+         value.reserve( std::min( size.value, FC_MAX_PREALLOC_SIZE ) );
          for( uint32_t i = 0; i < size.value; ++i )
          {
              std::pair<K,V> tmp;
@@ -86,11 +86,16 @@ namespace fc {
           --_max_depth;
           unsigned_int size;
           unpack( s, size, _max_depth );
-          value.resize( size );
           if( !std::is_fundamental<T>::value ) {
-             for( auto& item : value )
-                unpack( s, item, _max_depth );
+             value.resize( std::min( size.value, FC_MAX_PREALLOC_SIZE ) );
+             for( uint64_t i = 0; i < size; i++ )
+             {
+                if( i >= value.size() )
+                   value.resize( std::min( 2*value.size(), size.value ) );
+                unpack( s, value[i], _max_depth );
+             }
           } else {
+             value.resize( size );
              s.read( (char*)value.data(), value.size() );
           }
        }
diff --git a/include/fc/interprocess/container.hpp b/include/fc/interprocess/container.hpp
index a00346e75..a1a46587a 100644
--- a/include/fc/interprocess/container.hpp
+++ b/include/fc/interprocess/container.hpp
@@ -105,31 +105,4 @@ namespace fc {
             FC_ASSERT( r == d.size() );
          }
     }
-
-   namespace raw {
-       namespace bip = boost::interprocess;
-
-       template<typename Stream, typename T, typename... A>
-       inline void pack( Stream& s, const bip::vector<T,A...>& value, uint32_t _max_depth=FC_PACK_MAX_DEPTH ) {
-          FC_ASSERT( _max_depth > 0 );
-          --_max_depth;
-          pack( s, unsigned_int(value.size()), _max_depth );
-          auto itr = value.begin();
-          auto end = value.end();
-          while( itr != end ) {
-             fc::raw::pack( s, *itr, _max_depth );
-             ++itr;
-          }
-       }
-       template<typename Stream, typename T, typename... A>
-       inline void unpack( Stream& s, bip::vector<T,A...>& value, uint32_t _max_depth=FC_PACK_MAX_DEPTH ) {
-          FC_ASSERT( _max_depth > 0 );
-          --_max_depth;
-          unsigned_int size;
-          unpack( s, size, _max_depth );
-          value.clear(); value.resize(size);
-          for( auto& item : value )
-             fc::raw::unpack( s, item, _max_depth );
-       }
-   }
 }
diff --git a/include/fc/io/raw.hpp b/include/fc/io/raw.hpp
index c12abb1b5..a2ecbc873 100644
--- a/include/fc/io/raw.hpp
+++ b/include/fc/io/raw.hpp
@@ -429,7 +429,7 @@ namespace fc {
        unsigned_int size; fc::raw::unpack( s, size, _max_depth );
        value.clear();
        FC_ASSERT( size.value*sizeof(T) < MAX_ARRAY_ALLOC_SIZE );
-       value.reserve(size.value);
+       value.reserve( std::min( size.value, FC_MAX_PREALLOC_SIZE ) );
        for( uint32_t i = 0; i < size.value; ++i )
        {
           T tmp;
@@ -475,7 +475,7 @@ namespace fc {
        unsigned_int size; fc::raw::unpack( s, size, _max_depth );
        value.clear();
        FC_ASSERT( size.value*(sizeof(K)+sizeof(V)) < MAX_ARRAY_ALLOC_SIZE );
-       value.reserve(size.value);
+       value.reserve( std::min( size.value, FC_MAX_PREALLOC_SIZE ) );
        for( uint32_t i = 0; i < size.value; ++i )
        {
           std::pair<K,V> tmp;
@@ -530,12 +530,12 @@ namespace fc {
        --_max_depth;
        unsigned_int size; fc::raw::unpack( s, size, _max_depth );
        FC_ASSERT( size.value*sizeof(T) < MAX_ARRAY_ALLOC_SIZE );
-       value.resize(size.value);
-       auto itr = value.begin();
-       auto end = value.end();
-       while( itr != end ) {
-          fc::raw::unpack( s, *itr, _max_depth );
-          ++itr;
+       value.resize( std::min( size.value, FC_MAX_PREALLOC_SIZE ) );
+       for( uint64_t i = 0; i < size; i++ )
+       {
+          if( i >= value.size() )
+             value.resize( std::min( 2*value.size(), size.value ) );
+          unpack( s, value[i], _max_depth );
        }
     }
 
@@ -558,12 +558,12 @@ namespace fc {
        --_max_depth;
        unsigned_int size; fc::raw::unpack( s, size, _max_depth );
        FC_ASSERT( size.value*sizeof(T) < MAX_ARRAY_ALLOC_SIZE );
-       value.resize(size.value);
-       auto itr = value.begin();
-       auto end = value.end();
-       while( itr != end ) {
-          fc::raw::unpack( s, *itr, _max_depth );
-          ++itr;
+       value.resize( std::min( size.value, FC_MAX_PREALLOC_SIZE ) );
+       for( uint64_t i = 0; i < size; i++ )
+       {
+          if( i >= value.size() )
+             value.resize( std::min( 2*value.size(), size.value ) );
+          unpack( s, value[i], _max_depth );
        }
     }
 
diff --git a/include/fc/io/raw_variant.hpp b/include/fc/io/raw_variant.hpp
index 59b93d953..bf4ad08e0 100644
--- a/include/fc/io/raw_variant.hpp
+++ b/include/fc/io/raw_variant.hpp
@@ -143,9 +143,9 @@ namespace fc { namespace raw {
        --_max_depth;
        unsigned_int vs;
        unpack( s, vs, _max_depth );
-
+       FC_ASSERT( vs.value*sizeof(variant_object::entry) < MAX_ARRAY_ALLOC_SIZE );
        mutable_variant_object mvo;
-       mvo.reserve(vs.value);
+       mvo.reserve( std::min( vs.value, FC_MAX_PREALLOC_SIZE ) );
        for( uint32_t i = 0; i < vs.value; ++i )
        {
           fc::string key;
diff --git a/tests/serialization_test.cpp b/tests/serialization_test.cpp
index e1e9a54a0..1e0165cdc 100644
--- a/tests/serialization_test.cpp
+++ b/tests/serialization_test.cpp
@@ -102,4 +102,24 @@ BOOST_AUTO_TEST_CASE( nested_objects_test )
 
 } FC_CAPTURE_LOG_AND_RETHROW ( (0) ) }
 
+BOOST_AUTO_TEST_CASE( unpack_recursion_test )
+{
+   try
+   {
+      std::stringstream ss;
+      int recursion_level = 100000;
+      uint64_t allocation_per_level = 500000;
+
+      for ( int i = 0; i < recursion_level; i++ )
+      {
+         fc::raw::pack( ss, fc::unsigned_int( allocation_per_level ) );
+         fc::raw::pack( ss, static_cast< uint8_t >( fc::variant::array_type ) );
+      }
+
+      std::vector< fc::variant > v;
+      BOOST_REQUIRE_THROW( fc::raw::unpack( ss, v ), fc::assert_exception );
+   }
+   FC_LOG_AND_RETHROW();
+}
+
 BOOST_AUTO_TEST_SUITE_END()