diff --git a/examples/06_custom/client.cpp b/examples/06_custom/client.cpp
index ad155cd..fbe47d4 100644
--- a/examples/06_custom/client.cpp
+++ b/examples/06_custom/client.cpp
@@ -14,7 +14,9 @@ int main(int argc, char** argv) {
     tl::endpoint server = myEngine.lookup(argv[1]);
     point p(1,2,3);
     point q(5,2,4);
-    double ret = dot_product.on(server).async(p,q).wait();
+    double ret;
+    dot_product.on(server).async(p,q).wait().unpack(ret);
+    // or double ret = dot_product.on(server).async(p,q).wait()
     std::cout << "Dot product : " << ret << std::endl;
 
     return 0;
diff --git a/include/thallium/packed_data.hpp b/include/thallium/packed_data.hpp
index 0aea32f..5117f79 100644
--- a/include/thallium/packed_data.hpp
+++ b/include/thallium/packed_data.hpp
@@ -194,6 +194,32 @@ class packed_data {
      * @return An object of the desired type.
      */
     template <typename T> operator T() const { return as<T>(); }
+
+    /**
+     * @brief Unpack the data into a provided set of arguments.
+     * This function is preferable to as<T> or to casting into
+     * the resulting type in cases where the resulting type
+     * cannot be easily moved, or the caller already has an instance
+     * of it that needs to be set.
+     *
+     * @tparam T Types into which to unpack.
+     * @param x Objects into which to unpack.
+     */
+    template <typename... T> void unpack(T&... x) const {
+        if(m_handle == HG_HANDLE_NULL) {
+            throw exception(
+                "Cannot unpack data from handle. Are you trying to "
+                "unpack data from an RPC that does not return any?");
+        }
+        auto t = std::make_tuple(std::ref(x)...);
+        meta_proc_fn mproc = [this, &t](hg_proc_t proc) {
+            return proc_object_decode(proc, t, m_engine_impl, m_context);
+        };
+        hg_return_t ret = m_unpack_fn(m_handle, &mproc);
+        MARGO_ASSERT(ret, m_unpack_fn);
+        ret = m_free_fn(m_handle, &mproc);
+        MARGO_ASSERT(ret, m_free_fn);
+    }
 };
 
 } // namespace thallium