diff --git a/Grid/serialisation/BaseIO.h b/Grid/serialisation/BaseIO.h
index bf4eb42a..96bb3bb7 100644
--- a/Grid/serialisation/BaseIO.h
+++ b/Grid/serialisation/BaseIO.h
@@ -215,6 +215,7 @@ namespace Grid {
 
   // Helper to dump a tensor
 #ifdef DEBUG
+#define dump_tensor(args...) dump_tensor_func(args)
   template <typename T>
   typename std::enable_if<EigenIO::is_tensor<T>::value, void>::type
   dump_tensor_func(T &t, const char * pName = nullptr)
@@ -235,17 +236,13 @@ namespace Grid {
     } );
     std::cout << "========================================" << std::endl;
   }
-#define dump_tensor(args...) dump_tensor_func(args)
-#else
-#define dump_tensor(args...)
-#endif
 
   // Helper to dump a tensor in memory order
   // Kind of superfluous given the above
-#ifdef DEBUG
+#define DumpMemoryOrder(args...) DumpMemoryOrder_func(args)
   template <typename T>
   typename std::enable_if<EigenIO::is_tensor_of_scalar<T>::value, void>::type
-  DumpMemoryOrder(T &t, const char * pName = nullptr)
+  DumpMemoryOrder_func(T &t, const char * pName = nullptr)
   {
     const auto rank = t.rank();
     const auto &dims = t.dimensions();
@@ -287,6 +284,9 @@ namespace Grid {
         std::cout << std::endl;
     }
   }
+#else
+#define dump_tensor(args...)
+#define DumpMemoryOrder(args...)
 #endif
 
   // Abstract writer/reader classes ////////////////////////////////////////////
@@ -345,7 +345,8 @@ namespace Grid {
     typename std::enable_if<std::is_base_of<Serializable, U>::value, void>::type
     read(const std::string& s, U &output);
     template <typename U>
-    typename std::enable_if<!std::is_base_of<Serializable, U>::value, void>::type
+    typename std::enable_if<!std::is_base_of<Serializable, U>::value
+        && !std::is_base_of<Eigen::TensorBase<U, Eigen::ReadOnlyAccessors>, U>::value, void>::type
     read(const std::string& s, U &output);
     template <typename U>
     void read(const std::string &s, iScalar<U> &output);
@@ -353,6 +354,12 @@ namespace Grid {
     void read(const std::string &s, iVector<U, N> &output);
     template <typename U, int N>
     void read(const std::string &s, iMatrix<U, N> &output);
+    template <typename ETensor>
+    typename std::enable_if<std::is_base_of<Eigen::TensorBase<ETensor, Eigen::ReadOnlyAccessors>, ETensor>::value && EigenIO::is_scalar<typename ETensor::Scalar>::value, void>::type
+    read(const std::string &s, ETensor &output);
+    template <typename ETensor>
+    typename std::enable_if<std::is_base_of<Eigen::TensorBase<ETensor, Eigen::ReadOnlyAccessors>, ETensor>::value && EigenIO::is_container<typename ETensor::Scalar>::value, void>::type
+    read(const std::string &s, ETensor &output);
   protected:
     template <typename U>
     void fromString(U &output, const std::string &s);
@@ -398,7 +405,7 @@ namespace Grid {
   template <typename T>
   template <typename U>
   typename std::enable_if<!std::is_base_of<Serializable, U>::value
-                       && !std::is_base_of<Eigen::TensorBase<U, Eigen::ReadOnlyAccessors>, U>::value, void>::type
+      && !std::is_base_of<Eigen::TensorBase<U, Eigen::ReadOnlyAccessors>, U>::value, void>::type
   Writer<T>::write(const std::string &s, const U &output)
   {
     upcast->writeDefault(s, output);
@@ -602,7 +609,8 @@ namespace Grid {
   
   template <typename T>
   template <typename U>
-  typename std::enable_if<!std::is_base_of<Serializable, U>::value, void>::type
+  typename std::enable_if<!std::is_base_of<Serializable, U>::value
+      && !std::is_base_of<Eigen::TensorBase<U, Eigen::ReadOnlyAccessors>, U>::value, void>::type
   Reader<T>::read(const std::string &s, U &output)
   {
     upcast->readDefault(s, output);
@@ -638,6 +646,20 @@ namespace Grid {
     vecToTensor(output, v);
   }
 
+  template <typename T>
+  template <typename ETensor>
+  typename std::enable_if<std::is_base_of<Eigen::TensorBase<ETensor, Eigen::ReadOnlyAccessors>, ETensor>::value && EigenIO::is_scalar<typename ETensor::Scalar>::value, void>::type
+  Reader<T>::read(const std::string &s, ETensor &output)
+  {
+  }
+
+  template <typename T>
+  template <typename ETensor>
+  typename std::enable_if<std::is_base_of<Eigen::TensorBase<ETensor, Eigen::ReadOnlyAccessors>, ETensor>::value && EigenIO::is_container<typename ETensor::Scalar>::value, void>::type
+  Reader<T>::read(const std::string &s, ETensor &output)
+  {
+  }
+
   template <typename T>
   template <typename U>
   void Reader<T>::fromString(U &output, const std::string &s)
diff --git a/Grid/serialisation/Hdf5IO.h b/Grid/serialisation/Hdf5IO.h
index 7de6dc88..c1bb891c 100644
--- a/Grid/serialisation/Hdf5IO.h
+++ b/Grid/serialisation/Hdf5IO.h
@@ -68,6 +68,8 @@ namespace Grid
     template <typename U>
     typename std::enable_if<!element<std::vector<U>>::is_number, void>::type
     readDefault(const std::string &s, std::vector<U> &x);
+    template <typename U>
+    void readMultiDim(const std::string &s, std::vector<U> &buf, std::vector<size_t> &dim);
     H5NS::Group & getGroup(void);
   private:
     template <typename U>
@@ -182,10 +184,9 @@ namespace Grid
   
   template <>
   void Hdf5Reader::readDefault(const std::string &s, std::string &x);
-  
+
   template <typename U>
-  typename std::enable_if<element<std::vector<U>>::is_number, void>::type
-  Hdf5Reader::readDefault(const std::string &s, std::vector<U> &x)
+  void Hdf5Reader::readMultiDim(const std::string &s, std::vector<U> &buf, std::vector<size_t> &dim)
   {
     // alias to element type
     typedef typename element<std::vector<U>>::type Element;
@@ -193,7 +194,6 @@ namespace Grid
     // read the dimensions
     H5NS::DataSpace       dataSpace;
     std::vector<hsize_t>  hdim;
-    std::vector<size_t>   dim;
     hsize_t               size = 1;
     
     if (group_.attrExists(s))
@@ -213,8 +213,8 @@ namespace Grid
     }
     
     // read the flat vector
-    std::vector<Element> buf(size);
-
+    buf.resize(size);
+    
     if (size * sizeof(Element) > dataSetThres_)
     {
       H5NS::DataSet dataSet;
@@ -229,7 +229,19 @@ namespace Grid
       attribute = group_.openAttribute(s);
       attribute.read(Hdf5Type<Element>::type(), buf.data());
     }
-    
+  }
+
+  template <typename U>
+  typename std::enable_if<element<std::vector<U>>::is_number, void>::type
+  Hdf5Reader::readDefault(const std::string &s, std::vector<U> &x)
+  {
+    // alias to element type
+    typedef typename element<std::vector<U>>::type Element;
+
+    std::vector<size_t>   dim;
+    std::vector<Element>  buf;
+    readMultiDim( s, buf, dim );
+
     // reconstruct the multidimensional vector
     Reconstruct<std::vector<U>> r(buf, dim);