diff --git a/falcon/api.py b/falcon/api.py
index 33d07a8..79acb49 100644
--- a/falcon/api.py
+++ b/falcon/api.py
@@ -1,3 +1,6 @@
+from falcon.request import Request
+from falcon.response import Response
+
 from falcon.default_request_handlers import *
 from falcon.status_codes import *
 
@@ -5,25 +8,25 @@ from falcon.status_codes import *
 # TODO: log exceptions, trace execution, etc.
 
 class Api:
-    """WSGI application implementing a Falcon web API"""
+    """Provides routing and such for building a web service application"""
 
     def __init__(self):
         self.routes = {}
 
     def __call__(self, environ, start_response):
+        """WSGI protocol handler"""
+
         # PERF: Use literal constructor for dicts
-        # PERF: Don't use multi-assignment
         ctx = {}
-        req = {}
-        resp = {}
-
-        # TODO: What other things does req need?
-        req['path'] = path = environ['PATH_INFO']
-
 
         # TODO
         # ctx.update(global_ctx_for_route)
 
+        path = environ['PATH_INFO']
+        req = Request(path)
+
+        resp = Response()
+
         # PERF: Use try...except blocks when the key usually exists
         try:
             # TODO: Figure out a way to use codegen to make a state machine,
@@ -34,19 +37,36 @@ class Api:
 
         try:
             handler(ctx, req, resp)
-        except:
+        except Exception as ex:
             # TODO
             pass
 
+        resp.set_header('Content-Type', 'text/plain')
+
+        # Consider refactoring into functions, but be careful since that can 
+        # affect performance...
+
+        body = resp.body
+        content_length = 0
         try:
-            start_response(resp['status'], [('Content-Type', 'text/plain')])
-        except:
+            if body is not None:
+                content_length = len(body)
+        except Exception as ex:
+            #TODO
+            pass
+
+        resp.set_header('Content-Length', content_length)
+        headers = resp._wsgi_headers()
+
+        try:
+            start_response(resp.status, headers)
+        except Exception as ex:
             # TODO
             pass
 
         # PERF: Can't predict ratio of empty body to nonempty, so use
         #       "in" which is a good all-around performer.
-        return [resp['body']] if 'body' in resp else []
+        return [body] if body is not None else []
 
     def add_route(self, uri_template, handler):
         self.routes[uri_template] = handler
diff --git a/falcon/default_request_handlers.py b/falcon/default_request_handlers.py
index e635cf5..7d3510c 100644
--- a/falcon/default_request_handlers.py
+++ b/falcon/default_request_handlers.py
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
 from status_codes import *
 
 def path_not_found_handler(ctx, req, resp):
-    resp['status'] = HTTP_404
+    resp.status = HTTP_404
diff --git a/falcon/request.py b/falcon/request.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7c43070
--- /dev/null
+++ b/falcon/request.py
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+class Request:
+    __slots__ = ('path')
+
+    def __init__(self, path):
+        self.path = path
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/falcon/response.py b/falcon/response.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e879c2d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/falcon/response.py
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+class Response:
+    __slots__ = ('status', '_headers', 'body', 'stream')
+
+    def __init__(self):
+        self.status = None
+        self._headers = {}
+        self.body = None
+        self.stream = None
+
+    def set_header(self, name, value):
+        self._headers[name] = str(value)
+
+    #TODO: Add some helper functions and test them
+
+    def _wsgi_headers(self):
+        return [t for t in self._headers.items()]
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/helpers.py b/test/helpers.py
index e56da75..1a4093b 100644
--- a/test/helpers.py
+++ b/test/helpers.py
@@ -1,4 +1,6 @@
 import inspect
+import random
+
 import testtools
 
 import falcon
@@ -32,6 +34,26 @@ class TestSuite(testtools.TestCase):
     def _simulate_request(self, path):
         self.api(create_environ(path), self.srmock)
 
+class RandChars:
+    _chars = 'abcdefghijklqmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789 \n\t!@#$%^&*()-_=+`~<>,.?/'
+
+    def __init__(self, min, max):
+        self.target = random.randint(min, max)
+        self.counter = 0
+
+    def __iter__(self):
+        return self
+
+    def next(self):
+        if self.counter < self.target:
+            self.counter += 1
+            return self._chars[random.randint(0, len(self._chars)-1)]
+        else:
+            raise StopIteration
+
+def rand_string(min, max):
+    return ''.join([c for c in RandChars(min, max)])
+
 def create_environ(path='/', query_string=''):
     return {
         'SERVER_SOFTWARE': 'WSGIServer/0.1 Python/2.7.3',
diff --git a/test/test_headers.py b/test/test_headers.py
index 5b6985d..f6fe4e3 100644
--- a/test/test_headers.py
+++ b/test/test_headers.py
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 import testtools
-from testtools.matchers import Equals, MatchesRegex
+import random
+
+from testtools.matchers import Equals, MatchesRegex, Contains
 
 import falcon
 import test.helpers as helpers
@@ -7,10 +9,15 @@ import test.helpers as helpers
 # TODO: Framework adds keep-alive and either chunked or content-length
 # TODO: Test setting various headers, and seeing that Falcon doesn't override custom ones, but will set them if not present (or not?)
 # TODO: Test correct content length is set
+# TODO: Test calling set_header with bogus arguments
+# TODO: The order in which header fields with differing field names are received is not significant. However, it is "good practice" to send general-header fields first, followed by request-header or response- header fields, and ending with the entity-header fields.
+# TODO: Helper functions for getting and setting common headers
+# TODO: Any default headers, such as content-type?
+# TODO: if status is 1xx, 204, or 404 ignore body, don't set content-length
 
 class RequestHandler:
     sample_status = "200 OK"
-    sample_body = "Hello World!"
+    sample_body = helpers.rand_string(0, 128 * 1024)
 
     def __init__(self):
         self.called = False
@@ -20,8 +27,8 @@ class RequestHandler:
 
         self.ctx, self.req, self.resp = ctx, req, resp
 
-        resp['status'] = falcon.HTTP_200
-        resp['body'] = self.sample_body
+        resp.status = falcon.HTTP_200
+        resp.body = self.sample_body
 
 class TestHeaders(helpers.TestSuite):
 
@@ -31,3 +38,10 @@ class TestHeaders(helpers.TestSuite):
 
     def test_auto_headers(self):
         self._simulate_request(self.test_route)
+
+        headers = self.srmock.headers
+
+        content_length = ('Content-Length', str(len(self.on_hello.sample_body)))
+        self.assertThat(headers, Contains(content_length))
+
+
diff --git a/test/test_hello.py b/test/test_hello.py
index 4178d87..01d0edd 100644
--- a/test/test_hello.py
+++ b/test/test_hello.py
@@ -16,8 +16,8 @@ class HelloRequestHandler:
 
         self.ctx, self.req, self.resp = ctx, req, resp
 
-        resp['status'] = falcon.HTTP_200
-        resp['body'] = self.sample_body
+        resp.status = falcon.HTTP_200
+        resp.body = self.sample_body
 
 
 class TestHelloWorld(helpers.TestSuite):
@@ -38,8 +38,6 @@ class TestHelloWorld(helpers.TestSuite):
         self._simulate_request(self.test_route)
         resp = self.on_hello.resp
 
-        self.assertTrue('status' in resp)
-        self.assertThat(resp['status'], Equals(self.on_hello.sample_status))
+        self.assertThat(resp.status, Equals(self.on_hello.sample_status))
 
-        self.assertTrue('body' in resp)
-        self.assertThat(resp['body'], Equals(self.on_hello.sample_body))
+        self.assertThat(resp.body, Equals(self.on_hello.sample_body))
diff --git a/test/todo.md b/test/todo.md
index bcea073..97193ea 100644
--- a/test/todo.md
+++ b/test/todo.md
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 
 * Test sending/receiving various status codes
+* Ensure req dict has things the app needs, including path, user agent, various headers.
+* Test default http status code (200 OK?)
 * Test compiling routes, throwing on invalid routes (such as missing initial forward slash or non-ascii)
 * Test setting the body to a stream, rather than a string (and content-length set to chunked?)
 * Test custom error handlers - customizing error document at least
@@ -14,4 +16,5 @@
 * Test passing a shared dict to each mock call (e.g., db connections, config)...and that it is passed to the request handler correctly
 * Test pre/post filters
 * Test error handling with standard response (for all error classes?)
+* Test passing bogus data to create_api and/or add_route