diff --git a/io.go b/io.go
index 4f3b309..44beaf3 100644
--- a/io.go
+++ b/io.go
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ var (
 
 type CborReader struct {
 	r    BytePeeker
-	hbuf []byte
+	hbuf [maxHeaderSize]byte
 }
 
 func NewCborReader(r io.Reader) *CborReader {
@@ -20,8 +20,7 @@ func NewCborReader(r io.Reader) *CborReader {
 	}
 
 	return &CborReader{
-		r:    GetPeeker(r),
-		hbuf: make([]byte, maxHeaderSize),
+		r: GetPeeker(r),
 	}
 }
 
@@ -38,7 +37,7 @@ func (cr *CborReader) UnreadByte() error {
 }
 
 func (cr *CborReader) ReadHeader() (byte, uint64, error) {
-	return CborReadHeaderBuf(cr.r, cr.hbuf)
+	return CborReadHeaderBuf(cr.r, cr.hbuf[:])
 }
 
 func (cr *CborReader) SetReader(r io.Reader) {
@@ -52,7 +51,7 @@ var (
 
 type CborWriter struct {
 	w    io.Writer
-	hbuf []byte
+	hbuf [maxHeaderSize]byte
 
 	sw io.StringWriter
 }
@@ -63,8 +62,7 @@ func NewCborWriter(w io.Writer) *CborWriter {
 	}
 
 	cw := &CborWriter{
-		w:    w,
-		hbuf: make([]byte, maxHeaderSize),
+		w: w,
 	}
 
 	if sw, ok := w.(io.StringWriter); ok {
@@ -88,11 +86,11 @@ func (cw *CborWriter) Write(p []byte) (n int, err error) {
 }
 
 func (cw *CborWriter) WriteMajorTypeHeader(t byte, l uint64) error {
-	return WriteMajorTypeHeaderBuf(cw.hbuf, cw.w, t, l)
+	return WriteMajorTypeHeaderBuf(cw.hbuf[:], cw.w, t, l)
 }
 
 func (cw *CborWriter) CborWriteHeader(t byte, l uint64) error {
-	return WriteMajorTypeHeaderBuf(cw.hbuf, cw.w, t, l)
+	return WriteMajorTypeHeaderBuf(cw.hbuf[:], cw.w, t, l)
 }
 
 func (cw *CborWriter) WriteString(s string) (int, error) {