diff --git a/backend/reader_test.go b/backend/reader_test.go
index 708fbceb2..7b05424c5 100644
--- a/backend/reader_test.go
+++ b/backend/reader_test.go
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ func TestHashingReader(t *testing.T) {
 
 		assert(t, n == int64(size),
 			"HashAppendReader: invalid number of bytes read: got %d, expected %d",
-			n, size+len(expectedHash))
+			n, size)
 
 		resultingHash := rd.Sum(nil)
 		assert(t, bytes.Equal(expectedHash[:], resultingHash),
diff --git a/backend/writer.go b/backend/writer.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..55ffb3279
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/writer.go
@@ -0,0 +1,63 @@
+package backend
+
+import (
+	"errors"
+	"hash"
+	"io"
+)
+
+type HashAppendWriter struct {
+	w      io.Writer
+	origWr io.Writer
+	h      hash.Hash
+	sum    []byte
+	closed bool
+}
+
+func NewHashAppendWriter(w io.Writer, h hash.Hash) *HashAppendWriter {
+	return &HashAppendWriter{
+		h:      h,
+		w:      io.MultiWriter(w, h),
+		origWr: w,
+		sum:    make([]byte, 0, h.Size()),
+	}
+}
+
+func (h *HashAppendWriter) Close() error {
+	if !h.closed {
+		h.closed = true
+
+		_, err := h.origWr.Write(h.h.Sum(nil))
+		return err
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}
+
+func (h *HashAppendWriter) Write(p []byte) (n int, err error) {
+	if !h.closed {
+		return h.w.Write(p)
+	}
+
+	return 0, errors.New("Write() called on closed HashAppendWriter")
+}
+
+type HashingWriter struct {
+	w io.Writer
+	h hash.Hash
+}
+
+func NewHashingWriter(w io.Writer, h hash.Hash) *HashingWriter {
+	return &HashingWriter{
+		h: h,
+		w: io.MultiWriter(w, h),
+	}
+}
+
+func (h *HashingWriter) Write(p []byte) (int, error) {
+	return h.w.Write(p)
+}
+
+func (h *HashingWriter) Sum(d []byte) []byte {
+	return h.h.Sum(d)
+}
diff --git a/backend/writer_test.go b/backend/writer_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..bf4655c25
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/writer_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,76 @@
+package backend_test
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"crypto/rand"
+	"crypto/sha256"
+	"io"
+	"io/ioutil"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/restic/restic/backend"
+)
+
+func TestHashAppendWriter(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []int{5, 23, 2<<18 + 23, 1 << 20}
+
+	for _, size := range tests {
+		data := make([]byte, size)
+		_, err := io.ReadFull(rand.Reader, data)
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("ReadFull: %v", err)
+		}
+
+		expectedHash := sha256.Sum256(data)
+
+		target := bytes.NewBuffer(nil)
+		wr := backend.NewHashAppendWriter(target, sha256.New())
+
+		_, err = wr.Write(data)
+		ok(t, err)
+		ok(t, wr.Close())
+
+		assert(t, len(target.Bytes()) == size+len(expectedHash),
+			"HashAppendWriter: invalid number of bytes written: got %d, expected %d",
+			len(target.Bytes()), size+len(expectedHash))
+
+		r := target.Bytes()
+		resultingHash := r[len(r)-len(expectedHash):]
+		assert(t, bytes.Equal(expectedHash[:], resultingHash),
+			"HashAppendWriter: hashes do not match: expected %02x, got %02x",
+			expectedHash, resultingHash)
+
+		// write again, this must return an error
+		_, err = wr.Write([]byte{23})
+		assert(t, err != nil,
+			"HashAppendWriter: Write() after Close() did not return an error")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestHashingWriter(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []int{5, 23, 2<<18 + 23, 1 << 20}
+
+	for _, size := range tests {
+		data := make([]byte, size)
+		_, err := io.ReadFull(rand.Reader, data)
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("ReadFull: %v", err)
+		}
+
+		expectedHash := sha256.Sum256(data)
+
+		wr := backend.NewHashingWriter(ioutil.Discard, sha256.New())
+
+		n, err := io.Copy(wr, bytes.NewReader(data))
+		ok(t, err)
+
+		assert(t, n == int64(size),
+			"HashAppendWriter: invalid number of bytes written: got %d, expected %d",
+			n, size)
+
+		resultingHash := wr.Sum(nil)
+		assert(t, bytes.Equal(expectedHash[:], resultingHash),
+			"HashAppendWriter: hashes do not match: expected %02x, got %02x",
+			expectedHash, resultingHash)
+	}
+}