diff --git a/lib/httpclient.rb b/lib/httpclient.rb
index 4f4b4297..0897e99b 100644
--- a/lib/httpclient.rb
+++ b/lib/httpclient.rb
@@ -651,8 +651,8 @@ def redirect_uri_callback=(redirect_uri_callback)
   # use get method.  get returns HTTP::Message as a response and you need to
   # follow HTTP redirect by yourself if you need.
   def get_content(uri, *args, &block)
-    query, header = keyword_argument(args, :query, :header)
-    success_content(follow_redirect(:get, uri, query, nil, header || {}, &block))
+    query, header, to = keyword_argument(args, :query, :header, :to)
+    success_content(follow_redirect(:get, uri, query, nil, header || {}, to, &block))
   end
 
   # Posts a content.
@@ -995,7 +995,7 @@ def hashy_argument_has_keys(args, *key)
       key.all? { |e| args[0].key?(e) }
   end
 
-  def do_request(method, uri, query, body, header, &block)
+  def do_request(method, uri, query, body, header, to = nil, &block)
     res = nil
     if HTTP::Message.file?(body)
       pos = body.pos rescue nil
@@ -1016,7 +1016,7 @@ def do_request(method, uri, query, body, header, &block)
           # We want to delete Connection usage in do_get_block but Newrelic gem depends on it.
           # https://github.com/newrelic/rpm/blob/master/lib/new_relic/agent/instrumentation/httpclient.rb#L34-L36
           conn = Connection.new
-          res = do_get_block(req, proxy, conn, &block)
+          res = do_get_block(req, proxy, conn, to, &block)
           # Webmock's do_get_block returns ConditionVariable
           if !res.respond_to?(:previous)
             res = conn.pop
@@ -1085,7 +1085,7 @@ def adapt_block(&block)
     proc { |r, str| block.call(str) }
   end
 
-  def follow_redirect(method, uri, query, body, header, &block)
+  def follow_redirect(method, uri, query, body, header, to = nil, &block)
     uri = to_resource_url(uri)
     if block
       b = adapt_block(&block)
@@ -1101,7 +1101,7 @@ def follow_redirect(method, uri, query, body, header, &block)
     request_query = query
     while retry_number < @follow_redirect_count
       body.pos = pos if pos
-      res = do_request(method, uri, request_query, body, header, &filtered_block)
+      res = do_request(method, uri, request_query, body, header, to, &filtered_block)
       res.previous = previous
       if res.redirect?
         if res.header['location'].empty?
@@ -1226,7 +1226,7 @@ def no_proxy?(uri)
 
   # !! CAUTION !!
   #   Method 'do_get*' runs under MT conditon. Be careful to change.
-  def do_get_block(req, proxy, conn, &block)
+  def do_get_block(req, proxy, conn, to = nil, &block)
     @request_filter.each do |filter|
       filter.filter_request(req)
     end
@@ -1244,7 +1244,8 @@ def do_get_block(req, proxy, conn, &block)
     @debug_dev << "\n\n= Response\n\n" if @debug_dev
     do_get_header(req, res, sess)
     conn.push(res)
-    sess.get_body do |part|
+
+    sess.get_body(to) do |part|
       set_encoding(part, res.body_encoding)
       if block
         block.call(res, part.dup)
diff --git a/lib/httpclient/session.rb b/lib/httpclient/session.rb
index 67e2c3ba..44959994 100644
--- a/lib/httpclient/session.rb
+++ b/lib/httpclient/session.rb
@@ -29,8 +29,6 @@
 
 
 class HTTPClient
-
-
   # Represents a Site: protocol scheme, host String and port Number.
   class Site
     # Protocol scheme.
@@ -574,29 +572,31 @@ def eof?
       end
     end
 
-    def get_body(&block)
-      begin
-        read_header if @state == :META
-        return nil if @state != :DATA
-        if @transparent_gzip_decompression
-          block = content_inflater_block(@content_encoding, block)
-        end
-        if @chunked
-          read_body_chunked(&block)
-        elsif @content_length
-          read_body_length(&block)
-        else
-          read_body_rest(&block)
-        end
-      rescue
-        close
-        raise
-      end
-      if eof?
-        if @next_connection
-          @state = :WAIT
-        else
+    def get_body(to = nil, &block)
+      cast_to_io(to, block) do |io|
+        begin
+          read_header if @state == :META
+          return nil if @state != :DATA
+          if @transparent_gzip_decompression
+            io = content_inflater(@content_encoding, io)
+          end
+          if @chunked
+            read_body_chunked(io)
+          elsif @content_length
+            read_body_length(io)
+          else
+            read_body_rest(io)
+          end
+        rescue
           close
+          raise
+        end
+        if eof?
+          if @next_connection
+            @state = :WAIT
+          else
+            close
+          end
         end
       end
       nil
@@ -697,7 +697,7 @@ def first_inflate(body)
       end
     end
 
-    def content_inflater_block(content_encoding, block)
+    def content_inflater(content_encoding, io)
       case content_encoding
       when 'gzip', 'x-gzip'
         # zlib itself has a functionality to decompress gzip stream.
@@ -706,15 +706,12 @@ def content_inflater_block(content_encoding, block)
         # > windowBits can also be greater than 15 for optional gzip decoding. Add 32 to
         # > windowBits to enable zlib and gzip decoding with automatic header detection,
         # > or add 16 to decode only the gzip format
-        inflate_stream = Zlib::Inflate.new(Zlib::MAX_WBITS + 32)
+        IOInflater.new(io, Zlib::Inflate.new(Zlib::MAX_WBITS + 32))
       when 'deflate'
-        inflate_stream = LenientInflater.new
+        IOInflater.new(io, LenientInflater.new)
       else
-        return block
+        io
       end
-      Proc.new { |buf|
-        block.call(inflate_stream.inflate(buf))
-      }
     end
 
     def set_header(req)
@@ -872,35 +869,20 @@ def parse_content_header(key, value)
       end
     end
 
-    def read_body_length(&block)
-      return nil if @content_length == 0
-      while true
-        buf = empty_bin_str
-        maxbytes = @read_block_size
-        maxbytes = @content_length if maxbytes > @content_length && @content_length > 0
-        ::Timeout.timeout(@receive_timeout, ReceiveTimeoutError) do
-          begin
-            @socket.readpartial(maxbytes, buf)
-          rescue EOFError
-            close
-            buf = nil
-            if @strict_response_size_check
-              raise BadResponseError.new("EOF while reading rest #{@content_length} bytes")
-            end
-          end
-        end
-        if buf && buf.bytesize > 0
-          @content_length -= buf.bytesize
-          yield buf
-        else
-          @content_length = 0
-        end
-        return if @content_length == 0
+    def read_body_length(io)
+      ::Timeout.timeout(@receive_timeout, ReceiveTimeoutError) do
+        @content_length -= IO.copy_stream(@socket, io, @content_length)
+      end
+
+      if @strict_response_size_check && @content_length > 0
+        raise BadResponseError.new("EOF while reading rest #{@content_length} bytes")
+      else
+        @content_length = 0
       end
     end
 
     RS = "\r\n"
-    def read_body_chunked(&block)
+    def read_body_chunked(io)
       buf = empty_bin_str
       while true
        ::Timeout.timeout(@receive_timeout, ReceiveTimeoutError) do
@@ -919,14 +901,14 @@ def read_body_chunked(&block)
           @socket.read(2)
         end
         unless buf.empty?
-          yield buf
+          io.write(buf)
         end
       end
     end
 
-    def read_body_rest
+    def read_body_rest(io)
       if @readbuf and @readbuf.bytesize > 0
-        yield @readbuf
+        io.write(@readbuf)
         @readbuf = nil
       end
       while true
@@ -942,19 +924,52 @@ def read_body_rest
           end
         end
         if buf && buf.bytesize > 0
-          yield buf
+          io.write(buf)
         else
           return
         end
       end
     end
 
+    def cast_to_io(to, block)
+      if to.respond_to?(:write)
+        yield to
+      elsif to
+        File.open(to, 'w+') do |file|
+          yield file
+        end
+      else
+        yield IOBlockAdapter.new(block)
+      end
+    end
+
+    class IOInflater
+      def initialize(io, inflater)
+        @io = io
+        @inflater = inflater
+      end
+
+      def write(chunk)
+        @io.write(@inflater.inflate(chunk))
+        chunk.bytesize
+      end
+    end
+
+    class IOBlockAdapter
+      def initialize(block)
+        @block = block
+      end
+
+      def write(chunk)
+        @block.call(chunk)
+        chunk.bytesize
+      end
+    end
+
     def empty_bin_str
       str = ''
       str.force_encoding('BINARY') if str.respond_to?(:force_encoding)
       str
     end
   end
-
-
 end
diff --git a/test/helper.rb b/test/helper.rb
index 26bc4f9b..29ae50d4 100644
--- a/test/helper.rb
+++ b/test/helper.rb
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@
 require 'stringio'
 require 'cgi'
 require 'webrick/httputils'
-
+require 'tmpdir'
 
 module Helper
   Port = 17171
diff --git a/test/test_httpclient.rb b/test/test_httpclient.rb
index c8e5330c..fdecc5c4 100644
--- a/test/test_httpclient.rb
+++ b/test/test_httpclient.rb
@@ -629,6 +629,41 @@ def test_get_content_with_block
     end
   end
 
+  def test_get_content_with_path
+    with_tmp_path do |path|
+      @client.get_content(serverurl + 'hello', to: path)
+      assert_equal('hello', File.read(path))
+    end
+  end
+
+  def test_get_content_with_io
+    with_tmp_path do |path|
+      File.open(path, 'w+') do |io|
+        @client.get_content(serverurl + 'hello', to: io)
+      end
+      assert_equal('hello', File.read(path))
+    end
+  end
+
+  def test_get_gzipped_content_with_io
+    @client.transparent_gzip_decompression = true
+
+    with_tmp_path do |path|
+      @client.get_content(serverurl + 'compressed?enc=gzip', to: path)
+      assert_equal('hello', File.read(path))
+    end
+
+    with_tmp_path do |path|
+      @client.get_content(serverurl + 'compressed?enc=deflate', to: path)
+      assert_equal('hello', File.read(path))
+    end
+
+    with_tmp_path do |path|
+      @client.get_content(serverurl + 'compressed?enc=deflate_noheader', to: path)
+      assert_equal('hello', File.read(path))
+    end
+  end
+
   def test_post_content
     assert_equal('hello', @client.post_content(serverurl + 'hello'))
     assert_equal('hello', @client.post_content(serverurl + 'redirect1'))
@@ -829,16 +864,6 @@ def test_get_with_block_arity_2_and_redirects
     assert_nil(res.content)
   end
 
-  def test_get_with_block_string_recycle
-    @client.read_block_size = 2
-    body = []
-    _res = @client.get(serverurl + 'servlet') { |str|
-      body << str
-    }
-    assert_equal(2, body.size)
-    assert_equal("get", body.join) # Was "tt" by String object recycle...
-  end
-
   def test_get_with_block_chunked_string_recycle
     server = TCPServer.open('localhost', 0)
     server_thread = Thread.new {
@@ -1922,6 +1947,14 @@ def test_tcp_keepalive
 
 private
 
+  def with_tmp_path
+    path = File.join(Dir.tmpdir, 'http-client-test')
+    File.delete(path) if File.exists?(path)
+    yield path
+  ensure
+    File.delete(path) if File.exists?(path)
+  end
+
   def check_query_get(query)
     WEBrick::HTTPUtils.parse_query(
       @client.get(serverurl + 'servlet', query).header["x-query"][0]