diff --git a/e2e/echo_test.go b/e2e/echo_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..5e1299b2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/e2e/echo_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,85 @@
+//go:build e2e_testing
+// +build e2e_testing
+
+package e2e
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/slackhq/nebula"
+	"github.com/slackhq/nebula/cert"
+	"github.com/slackhq/nebula/cert_test"
+	"github.com/slackhq/nebula/e2e/router"
+	"github.com/slackhq/nebula/header"
+	"github.com/slackhq/nebula/udp"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+)
+
+func assertTestRequestEchoed(t *testing.T, cipher string) {
+	ca, _, caKey, _ := cert_test.NewTestCaCert(cert.Version1, cert.Curve_CURVE25519, time.Now(), time.Now().Add(10*time.Minute), nil, nil, []string{})
+	over := m{"cipher": cipher}
+	a, aNet, aUdp, _ := newSimpleServer(cert.Version1, ca, caKey, "a", "10.128.0.1/24", over)
+	b, bNet, bUdp, _ := newSimpleServer(cert.Version1, ca, caKey, "b", "10.128.0.2/24", over)
+
+	a.InjectLightHouseAddr(bNet[0].Addr(), bUdp)
+	b.InjectLightHouseAddr(aNet[0].Addr(), aUdp)
+	a.Start()
+	b.Start()
+	t.Cleanup(func() { a.Stop(); b.Stop() })
+	r := router.NewR(t, a, b)
+	defer r.RenderFlow()
+
+	assertTunnel(t, aNet[0].Addr(), bNet[0].Addr(), a, b, r)
+	drainUDPTx(a)
+	drainUDPTx(b)
+
+	payload := []byte("a test payload well over sixteen bytes long, wow it's so very long long long!")
+	require.Greater(t, len(payload), header.Len)
+	a.GetF().SendMessageToVpnAddr(header.Test, header.TestRequest, bNet[0].Addr(), payload, make([]byte, 12, 12), make([]byte, udp.MTU))
+
+	// Deliver A's request to B; B must echo a reply back
+	b.InjectUDPPacket(a.GetFromUDP(true))
+	reply := nextUDPTxOfType(t, b, header.Test, header.TestReply, 2*time.Second)
+
+	assert.Equal(t, aUdp, reply.To, "the reply must go back to the requester")
+	// header + echoed payload + 16-byte AEAD tag: proves the whole payload
+	// round-tripped rather than being dropped or truncated.
+	assert.Equal(t, header.Len+len(payload)+16, len(reply.Data), "the full payload must be echoed back")
+}
+
+func TestTestRequestEchoesLongPayloadAES(t *testing.T) {
+	assertTestRequestEchoed(t, "aes")
+}
+
+func TestTestRequestEchoesLongPayloadChaChaPoly(t *testing.T) {
+	assertTestRequestEchoed(t, "chachapoly")
+}
+
+// drainUDPTx empties a control's UDP tx queue without blocking.
+func drainUDPTx(c *nebula.Control) {
+	for c.GetFromUDP(false) != nil {
+	}
+}
+
+// nextUDPTxOfType returns the next packet a control transmits whose nebula
+// header matches (wantType, wantSub), skipping unrelated packets.
+// It fails the test if none arrives within the timeout.
+func nextUDPTxOfType(t *testing.T, c *nebula.Control, wantType header.MessageType, wantSub header.MessageSubType, within time.Duration) *udp.Packet {
+	t.Helper()
+	ch := c.GetUDPTxChan()
+	timeout := time.After(within)
+	for {
+		select {
+		case p := <-ch:
+			var h header.H
+			if err := h.Parse(p.Data); err == nil && h.Type == wantType && h.Subtype == wantSub {
+				return p
+			}
+		case <-timeout:
+			t.Fatalf("timed out waiting for a %v/%v packet on the udp tx queue", wantType, wantSub)
+			return nil
+		}
+	}
+}
diff --git a/outside.go b/outside.go
index 7ebd4b5e..aad776bf 100644
--- a/outside.go
+++ b/outside.go
@@ -150,7 +150,8 @@ func (f *Interface) readOutsidePackets(via ViaSender, out []byte, packet []byte,
 		case header.TestReply:
 			// No-op, useful for the Roaming and connectionManager side-effects above
 		case header.TestRequest:
-			f.send(header.Test, header.TestReply, ci, hostinfo, out, nb, out)
+			//recycle the input packet ciphertext as our output buffer
+			f.send(header.Test, header.TestReply, ci, hostinfo, out, nb, packet)
 		default:
 			hostinfo.logger(f.l).Error("IsValidSubType was true, but unexpected test subtype seen", "from", via, "header", h)
 			return