diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 1a1421f9e3cc..b4427452edd2 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@
 - [[PR 890]](https://github.com/parthenon-hpc-lab/parthenon/pull/890) Fix bugs in sparse communication and prolongation
 
 ### Infrastructure (changes irrelevant to downstream codes)
+- [[PR 938]](https://github.com/parthenon-hpc-lab/parthenon/pull/938) Restructure buffer packing/unpacking kernel hierarchical parallelism
 - [[PR 944]](https://github.com/parthenon-hpc-lab/parthenon/pull/944) Move sparse pack identifier creation to descriptor
 - [[PR 904]](https://github.com/parthenon-hpc-lab/parthenon/pull/904) Move to prolongation/restriction in one for AMR and communicate non-cell centered fields
 - [[PR 918]](https://github.com/parthenon-hpc-lab/parthenon/pull/918) Refactor RegionSize
diff --git a/src/bvals/comms/boundary_communication.cpp b/src/bvals/comms/boundary_communication.cpp
index bee917ac32b8..fc5231c2da79 100644
--- a/src/bvals/comms/boundary_communication.cpp
+++ b/src/bvals/comms/boundary_communication.cpp
@@ -82,6 +82,7 @@ TaskStatus SendBoundBufs(std::shared_ptr<MeshData<Real>> &md) {
   PARTHENON_DEBUG_REQUIRE(bnd_info.size() == nbound, "Need same size for boundary info");
   auto &sending_nonzero_flags = cache.sending_non_zero_flags;
   auto &sending_nonzero_flags_h = cache.sending_non_zero_flags_h;
+
   Kokkos::parallel_for(
       "SendBoundBufs",
       Kokkos::TeamPolicy<>(parthenon::DevExecSpace(), nbound, Kokkos::AUTO),
@@ -98,13 +99,26 @@ TaskStatus SendBoundBufs(std::shared_ptr<MeshData<Real>> &md) {
         int idx_offset = 0;
         for (int iel = 0; iel < bnd_info(b).ntopological_elements; ++iel) {
           auto &idxer = bnd_info(b).idxer[iel];
+          const int Ni = idxer.template EndIdx<5>() - idxer.template StartIdx<5>() + 1;
           Kokkos::parallel_reduce(
-              Kokkos::TeamThreadRange<>(team_member, idxer.size()),
+              Kokkos::TeamThreadRange<>(team_member, idxer.size() / Ni),
               [&](const int idx, bool &lnon_zero) {
-                const auto [t, u, v, k, j, i] = idxer(idx);
-                const Real &val = bnd_info(b).var(iel, t, u, v, k, j, i);
-                bnd_info(b).buf(idx + idx_offset) = val;
-                lnon_zero = lnon_zero || (std::abs(val) >= threshold);
+                const auto [t, u, v, k, j, i] = idxer(idx * Ni);
+                Real *var = &bnd_info(b).var(iel, t, u, v, k, j, i);
+                Real *buf = &bnd_info(b).buf(idx * Ni + idx_offset);
+
+                Kokkos::parallel_for(Kokkos::ThreadVectorRange<>(team_member, Ni),
+                                     [&](int m) { buf[m] = var[m]; });
+
+                bool mnon_zero = false;
+                Kokkos::parallel_reduce(
+                    Kokkos::ThreadVectorRange<>(team_member, Ni),
+                    [&](int m, bool &llnon_zero) {
+                      llnon_zero = llnon_zero || (std::abs(buf[m]) >= threshold);
+                    },
+                    Kokkos::LOr<bool, parthenon::DevMemSpace>(mnon_zero));
+
+                lnon_zero = lnon_zero || mnon_zero;
               },
               Kokkos::LOr<bool, parthenon::DevMemSpace>(non_zero[iel]));
           idx_offset += idxer.size();
@@ -229,21 +243,41 @@ TaskStatus SetBounds(std::shared_ptr<MeshData<Real>> &md) {
         int idx_offset = 0;
         for (int iel = 0; iel < bnd_info(b).ntopological_elements; ++iel) {
           auto &idxer = bnd_info(b).idxer[iel];
+          const int Ni = idxer.template EndIdx<5>() - idxer.template StartIdx<5>() + 1;
           if (bnd_info(b).buf_allocated && bnd_info(b).allocated) {
-            Kokkos::parallel_for(Kokkos::TeamThreadRange<>(team_member, idxer.size()),
-                                 [&](const int idx) {
-                                   const auto [t, u, v, k, j, i] = idxer(idx);
-                                   if (idxer.IsActive(k, j, i))
-                                     bnd_info(b).var(iel, t, u, v, k, j, i) =
-                                         bnd_info(b).buf(idx + idx_offset);
-                                 });
+            Kokkos::parallel_for(
+                Kokkos::TeamThreadRange<>(team_member, idxer.size() / Ni),
+                [&](const int idx) {
+                  const auto [t, u, v, k, j, i] = idxer(idx * Ni);
+                  Real *var = &bnd_info(b).var(iel, t, u, v, k, j, i);
+                  Real *buf = &bnd_info(b).buf(idx * Ni + idx_offset);
+                  // Have to do this because of some weird issue about structure bindings
+                  // being captured
+                  const int kk = k;
+                  const int jj = j;
+                  const int ii = i;
+                  Kokkos::parallel_for(Kokkos::ThreadVectorRange<>(team_member, Ni),
+                                       [&](int m) {
+                                         if (idxer.IsActive(kk, jj, ii + m))
+                                           var[m] = buf[m];
+                                       });
+                });
           } else if (bnd_info(b).allocated) {
             const Real default_val = bnd_info(b).var.sparse_default_val;
-            Kokkos::parallel_for(Kokkos::TeamThreadRange<>(team_member, idxer.size()),
-                                 [&](const int idx) {
-                                   const auto [t, u, v, k, j, i] = idxer(idx);
-                                   bnd_info(b).var(iel, t, u, v, k, j, i) = default_val;
-                                 });
+            Kokkos::parallel_for(
+                Kokkos::TeamThreadRange<>(team_member, idxer.size() / Ni),
+                [&](const int idx) {
+                  const auto [t, u, v, k, j, i] = idxer(idx * Ni);
+                  Real *var = &bnd_info(b).var(iel, t, u, v, k, j, i);
+                  const int kk = k;
+                  const int jj = j;
+                  const int ii = i;
+                  Kokkos::parallel_for(Kokkos::ThreadVectorRange<>(team_member, Ni),
+                                       [&](int m) {
+                                         if (idxer.IsActive(kk, jj, ii + m))
+                                           var[m] = default_val;
+                                       });
+                });
           }
           idx_offset += idxer.size();
         }