diff --git a/config/default.rb b/config/default.rb
index 304ada189..c7405eea5 100644
--- a/config/default.rb
+++ b/config/default.rb
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ Vagrant::Config.run do |config|
   config.vm.disk_image_format = 'VMDK'
 
   config.package.name = 'vagrant'
+  config.package.extension = '.box'
   config.package.delimiter = 'VAGRANT'
   config.package.delimiter_regex = /(.*)#{config.package.delimiter}(.+)#{config.package.delimiter}(.*[\n\r])/
 
diff --git a/lib/vagrant/actions/export.rb b/lib/vagrant/actions/export.rb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..aa42f25e7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/vagrant/actions/export.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+module Vagrant
+  module Actions
+    class Export < Base
+      def execute!(name=Vagrant.config.package.name, to=FileUtils.pwd)
+        folder = FileUtils.mkpath(File.join(to, name))
+
+        logger.info "Creating export directory: #{folder} ..."
+        ovf_path = File.join(folder, "#{name}.ovf")
+
+        logger.info "Exporting required VM files to directory: #{folder} ..."
+        @vm.export(ovf_path)
+      end
+    end
+  end
+end
diff --git a/lib/vagrant/actions/package.rb b/lib/vagrant/actions/package.rb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..54461896d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/vagrant/actions/package.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+module Vagrant
+  module Actions
+    class Package < Base
+      def execute!(name=Vagrant.config.package.name, to=FileUtils.pwd)
+        folder = FileUtils.mkpath(File.join(to, name))
+        tar_path = "#{folder}#{Vagrant.config.package.extension}"
+
+        logger.info "Packaging VM into #{tar_path} ..."
+        compress(Dir["#{folder}/*.*"], tar_path)
+
+        logger.info "Removing working directory ..."
+        FileUtils.rm_r(folder)
+
+        tar_path
+      end
+
+      def compress(files_to_compress, compressed_file_name)
+        delimiter = Vagrant.config.package.delimiter
+        Zlib::GzipWriter.open(compressed_file_name) do |gz|
+          files_to_compress.each do  |file|
+            # Delimit the files, and guarantee new line for next file if not the first
+            gz.write "#{delimiter}#{file}#{delimiter}"
+            File.open(file).each { |line| gz.write(line) }
+          end
+        end
+      end
+    end
+  end
+end
diff --git a/lib/vagrant/commands.rb b/lib/vagrant/commands.rb
index f5b0b6827..b0f5f4721 100644
--- a/lib/vagrant/commands.rb
+++ b/lib/vagrant/commands.rb
@@ -107,7 +107,11 @@ error
         error_and_exit(<<-error) unless Env.persisted_vm.powered_off?
 The vagrant virtual environment you are trying to package must be powered off
 error
-        Env.persisted_vm.package(name || Vagrant.config[:package][:name], FileUtils.pwd)
+        # TODO allow directory specification
+        act_on_vm do |vm|
+          vm.add_action(Actions::Export)
+          vm.add_action(Actions::Package)# (name || Vagrant.config[:package][:name], FileUtils.pwd)
+        end
       end
 
       def unpackage(name)
@@ -117,6 +121,14 @@ Please specify a target package to unpack and import
 error
         VM.up(VM.unpackage(name))
       end
+
+
+      private
+
+      def act_on_vm(&block)
+        yield Env.persisted_vm
+        Env.persisted_vm.execute!
+      end
     end
   end
 end
diff --git a/lib/vagrant/config.rb b/lib/vagrant/config.rb
index a05aa71d9..9dcb94043 100644
--- a/lib/vagrant/config.rb
+++ b/lib/vagrant/config.rb
@@ -78,6 +78,7 @@ module Vagrant
 
     class PackageConfig < Base
       attr_accessor :name
+      attr_accessor :extension
       attr_accessor :delimiter
       attr_accessor :delimiter_regex
     end
diff --git a/lib/vagrant/vm.rb b/lib/vagrant/vm.rb
index 5561558aa..733862569 100644
--- a/lib/vagrant/vm.rb
+++ b/lib/vagrant/vm.rb
@@ -136,34 +136,6 @@ error
       @vm.save_state(true)
     end
 
-    # TODO the longest method, needs to be split up
-    def package(name, to)
-      delimiter = Vagrant.config[:package][:delimiter]
-      folder = FileUtils.mkpath(File.join(to, name))
-      logger.info "Creating working directory: #{folder} ..."
-
-      ovf_path = File.join(folder, "#{name}.ovf")
-      tar_path = "#{folder}.box"
-
-      logger.info "Exporting required VM files to working directory ..."
-      @vm.export(ovf_path)
-
-      logger.info "Packaging VM into #{tar_path} ..."
-      Zlib::GzipWriter.open(tar_path) do |gz|
-        Dir.new(folder).each do  |file|
-          next if File.directory?(file)
-          # Delimit the files, and guarantee new line for next file if not the first
-          gz.write "#{delimiter}#{file}#{delimiter}"
-          File.open(File.join(folder, file)).each { |line| gz.write(line) }
-        end
-      end
-
-      logger.info "Removing working directory ..."
-      FileUtils.rm_r(folder)
-
-      tar_path
-    end
-
     def powered_off?; @vm.powered_off? end
 
     def export(filename); @vm.export(filename, {}, true) end
diff --git a/test/test_helper.rb b/test/test_helper.rb
index bfc49aa7e..9d59395c7 100644
--- a/test/test_helper.rb
+++ b/test/test_helper.rb
@@ -38,6 +38,8 @@ class Test::Unit::TestCase
       config.vm.disk_image_format = 'VMDK'
       config.vm.forward_port("ssh", 22, 2222)
 
+      config.package.name = 'vagrant'
+      config.package.extension = '.box'
       config.package.delimiter = 'V'
       config.package.delimiter_regex = /'V(.+)V'/
 
diff --git a/test/vagrant/actions/.#export_test.rb b/test/vagrant/actions/.#export_test.rb
new file mode 120000
index 000000000..d9b5b59f5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/vagrant/actions/.#export_test.rb
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+johnbender@john-benders-macbook-pro-2.local.460
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/vagrant/actions/.#package_test.rb b/test/vagrant/actions/.#package_test.rb
new file mode 120000
index 000000000..d9b5b59f5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/vagrant/actions/.#package_test.rb
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+johnbender@john-benders-macbook-pro-2.local.460
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/vagrant/actions/export_test.rb b/test/vagrant/actions/export_test.rb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f44eeda55
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/vagrant/actions/export_test.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+require File.join(File.dirname(__FILE__), '..', '..', 'test_helper')
+
+class ExportActionTest < Test::Unit::TestCase
+  setup do
+    @wrapper_vm, @vm, @action = mock_action(Vagrant::Actions::Export)
+    mock_config
+  end  
+  
+  should "setup and correct working directory and export to it" do
+    new_dir = File.join(FileUtils.pwd, Vagrant.config.package.name)
+    FileUtils.expects(:mkpath).with(new_dir).returns(new_dir)
+    @wrapper_vm.expects(:export).with(File.join(new_dir, "#{Vagrant.config.package.name}.ovf"))
+    @action.execute!
+    
+
+#FileUtils.expects(:rm_r).with(new_dir)
+    
+    
+ #   assert_equal Vagrant::VM.new(@mock_vm).package(name, location), "#{new_dir}.box"
+  end
+end
diff --git a/test/vagrant/actions/package_test.rb b/test/vagrant/actions/package_test.rb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..119142879
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/vagrant/actions/package_test.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+require File.join(File.dirname(__FILE__), '..', '..', 'test_helper')
+
+class PackageActionTest < Test::Unit::TestCase
+  setup do
+    @wrapper_vm, @vm, @action = mock_action(Vagrant::Actions::Package)
+    mock_config
+  end  
+  
+  should "setup and correct working directory and export to it" do
+    working_dir = File.join(FileUtils.pwd, Vagrant.config.package.name)
+    FileUtils.expects(:rm_r).with(working_dir)
+    @action.expects(:compress)
+    assert_equal @action.execute!, "#{working_dir}.box"
+  end
+
+  # TODO test compression once its finished
+end
diff --git a/test/vagrant/commands_test.rb b/test/vagrant/commands_test.rb
index 1785b1197..4ee0fd888 100644
--- a/test/vagrant/commands_test.rb
+++ b/test/vagrant/commands_test.rb
@@ -136,6 +136,8 @@ class CommandsTest < Test::Unit::TestCase
     setup do
       @persisted_vm.stubs(:package)
       @persisted_vm.stubs(:powered_off?).returns(true)
+      @persisted_vm.expects(:add_action).twice
+      @persisted_vm.expects(:execute!)
     end
 
     should "require a persisted vm" do
@@ -149,15 +151,5 @@ class CommandsTest < Test::Unit::TestCase
       @persisted_vm.expects(:package).never
       Vagrant::Commands.package
     end
-
-    should "package the vm with the default name and the current directory" do
-      @persisted_vm.expects(:package).with(Vagrant.config[:package][:name], FileUtils.pwd).once
-      Vagrant::Commands.package
-    end
-
-    should "package the vm with the specified name" do
-      @persisted_vm.expects(:package).with('foo', FileUtils.pwd).once
-      Vagrant::Commands.package('foo')
-    end
   end
 end
diff --git a/test/vagrant/vm_test.rb b/test/vagrant/vm_test.rb
index a4bd1c238..e5467383c 100644
--- a/test/vagrant/vm_test.rb
+++ b/test/vagrant/vm_test.rb
@@ -182,22 +182,6 @@ class VMTest < Test::Unit::TestCase
     end
   end
 
-  # TODO more comprehensive testing
-  context "packaging a vm" do
-    should "dump the three necessary files to a tar in the current working dir" do
-      location = FileUtils.pwd
-      name = 'vagrant'
-      new_dir = File.join(location, name)
-      @mock_vm.expects(:export).with(File.join(new_dir, "#{name}.ovf"))
-      FileUtils.expects(:mkpath).with(new_dir).returns(new_dir)
-      FileUtils.expects(:rm_r).with(new_dir)
-      Zlib::GzipWriter.expects(:open).with("#{location}/#{name}.box")
-
-      # TODO test whats passed to the open tar.append_tree
-      assert_equal Vagrant::VM.new(@mock_vm).package(name, location), "#{new_dir}.box"
-    end
-  end
-
   context "unpackaging a vm" do
 
     # TODO test actual decompression