diff --git a/headers.js b/headers.js
index d4b00dd..8c75edc 100644
--- a/headers.js
+++ b/headers.js
@@ -164,6 +164,12 @@ exports.encodePax = function (opts) { // TODO: encode more stuff in pax
   var result = ''
   if (opts.name) result += addLength(' path=' + opts.name + '\n')
   if (opts.linkname) result += addLength(' linkpath=' + opts.linkname + '\n')
+  var pax = opts.pax
+  if (pax) {
+    for (var key in pax) {
+      result += addLength(' ' + key + '=' + pax[key] + '\n')
+    }
+  }
   return new Buffer(result)
 }
 
diff --git a/pack.js b/pack.js
index 45c9a27..2176d15 100644
--- a/pack.js
+++ b/pack.js
@@ -204,15 +204,21 @@ Pack.prototype.destroy = function (err) {
 }
 
 Pack.prototype._encode = function (header) {
-  var buf = headers.encode(header)
-  if (buf) this.push(buf)
-  else this._encodePax(header)
+  if (!header.pax) {
+    var buf = headers.encode(header)
+    if (buf) {
+      this.push(buf)
+      return
+    }
+  }
+  this._encodePax(header)
 }
 
 Pack.prototype._encodePax = function (header) {
   var paxHeader = headers.encodePax({
     name: header.name,
-    linkname: header.linkname
+    linkname: header.linkname,
+    pax: header.pax
   })
 
   var newHeader = {
diff --git a/test/extract.js b/test/extract.js
index fe95091..6c95d37 100644
--- a/test/extract.js
+++ b/test/extract.js
@@ -217,6 +217,43 @@ test('chunked-multi-file', function (t) {
   extract.end()
 })
 
+test('pax', function (t) {
+  t.plan(3)
+
+  var extract = tar.extract()
+  var noEntries = false
+
+  extract.on('entry', function (header, stream, callback) {
+    t.deepEqual(header, {
+      name: 'pax.txt',
+      mode: parseInt('644', 8),
+      uid: 501,
+      gid: 20,
+      size: 12,
+      mtime: new Date(1387580181000),
+      type: 'file',
+      linkname: null,
+      uname: 'maf',
+      gname: 'staff',
+      devmajor: 0,
+      devminor: 0,
+      pax: { path: 'pax.txt', special: 'sauce' }
+    })
+
+    stream.pipe(concat(function (data) {
+      noEntries = true
+      t.same(data.toString(), 'hello world\n')
+      callback()
+    }))
+  })
+
+  extract.on('finish', function () {
+    t.ok(noEntries)
+  })
+
+  extract.end(fs.readFileSync(fixtures.PAX_TAR))
+})
+
 test('types', function (t) {
   t.plan(3)
 
diff --git a/test/fixtures/index.js b/test/fixtures/index.js
index 0bdf71c..eb18dbd 100644
--- a/test/fixtures/index.js
+++ b/test/fixtures/index.js
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ var path = require('path')
 
 exports.ONE_FILE_TAR = path.join(__dirname, 'one-file.tar')
 exports.MULTI_FILE_TAR = path.join(__dirname, 'multi-file.tar')
+exports.PAX_TAR = path.join(__dirname, 'pax.tar')
 exports.TYPES_TAR = path.join(__dirname, 'types.tar')
 exports.LONG_NAME_TAR = path.join(__dirname, 'long-name.tar')
 exports.UNICODE_BSD_TAR = path.join(__dirname, 'unicode-bsd.tar')
diff --git a/test/fixtures/pax.tar b/test/fixtures/pax.tar
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f0d9d2f
Binary files /dev/null and b/test/fixtures/pax.tar differ
diff --git a/test/pack.js b/test/pack.js
index 4ceabf2..55817e0 100644
--- a/test/pack.js
+++ b/test/pack.js
@@ -61,6 +61,31 @@ test('multi-file', function (t) {
   }))
 })
 
+test('pax', function (t) {
+  t.plan(2)
+
+  var pack = tar.pack()
+
+  pack.entry({
+    name: 'pax.txt',
+    mtime: new Date(1387580181000),
+    mode: parseInt('644', 8),
+    uname: 'maf',
+    gname: 'staff',
+    uid: 501,
+    gid: 20,
+    pax: {special: 'sauce'}
+  }, 'hello world\n')
+
+  pack.finalize()
+
+  pack.pipe(concat(function (data) {
+    // fs.writeFileSync('tmp.tar', data)
+    t.same(data.length & 511, 0)
+    t.deepEqual(data, fs.readFileSync(fixtures.PAX_TAR))
+  }))
+})
+
 test('types', function (t) {
   t.plan(2)
   var pack = tar.pack()