diff --git a/go/cmd/zk/zkcmd.go b/go/cmd/zk/zkcmd.go
index 5517088501..c71fe711c5 100644
--- a/go/cmd/zk/zkcmd.go
+++ b/go/cmd/zk/zkcmd.go
@@ -365,34 +365,22 @@ func cmdLs(args []string) {
 			if *longListing && isDir {
 				fmt.Printf("total: %v\n", len(children))
 			}
-			wg := sync.WaitGroup{}
-			mutex := sync.Mutex{}
-			statMap := make(map[string]zk.Stat)
 			sort.Strings(children)
-			for _, child := range children {
-				localPath := path.Join(zkPath, child)
-				wg.Add(1)
-				go func() {
-					stat, err := zconn.Exists(localPath)
-					if err != nil {
-						log.Printf("ls: cannot access: %v: %v", localPath, err)
-					} else {
-						mutex.Lock()
-						statMap[localPath] = stat
-						mutex.Unlock()
-					}
-					wg.Done()
-				}()
+			stats := make([]zk.Stat, len(children))
+			f := func(i int) {
+				localPath := path.Join(zkPath, children[i])
+				stat, err := zconn.Exists(localPath)
+				if err != nil {
+					log.Printf("ls: cannot access: %v: %v", localPath, err)
+				} else {
+					stats[i] = stat
+				}
 			}
+			fmap(f, len(children), defaultConcurrency)
 
-			wg.Wait()
-			// Lock to read statMap consistently.
-			mutex.Lock()
-			defer mutex.Unlock()
-
-			for _, child := range children {
+			for i, child := range children {
 				localPath := path.Join(zkPath, child)
-				if stat := statMap[localPath]; stat != nil {
+				if stat := stats[i]; stat != nil {
 					fmtPath(stat, localPath, showFullPath)
 				}
 			}
@@ -783,6 +771,13 @@ func multiFileCp(args []string) {
 	}
 }
 
+type zkItem struct {
+	path string
+	data string
+	stat zk.Stat
+	err  error
+}
+
 // Store a zk tree in a zip archive. This won't be immediately useful to
 // zip tools since even "directories" can contain data.
 func cmdZip(args []string) {
@@ -813,9 +808,21 @@ func cmdZip(args []string) {
 		}
 	}
 
+	items := make(chan *zkItem, 16)
+	f := func(i int) {
+		data, stat, err := zconn.Get(pathList[i])
+		items <- &zkItem{pathList[i], data, stat, err}
+	}
+	go func() {
+		// FIXME(msolomon) don't love the fmap pattern here - mixing
+		// bounded and unbounded structures, hence this extra closure.
+		fmap(f, len(pathList), defaultConcurrency)
+		close(items)
+	}()
+
 	zipWriter := zip.NewWriter(zipFile)
-	for _, path := range pathList {
-		data, stat, err := zconn.Get(path)
+	for item := range items {
+		path, data, stat, err := item.path, item.data, item.stat, item.err
 		if err != nil {
 			log.Fatal("zip: get failed: %v", err)
 		}
@@ -883,3 +890,26 @@ func cmdUnzip(args []string) {
 		rc.Close()
 	}
 }
+
+const defaultConcurrency = 16
+
+func fmap(f func(i int), xrange, concurrency int) {
+	wg := sync.WaitGroup{}
+	work := make(chan int, 1)
+	for j := 0; j < concurrency; j++ {
+		wg.Add(1)
+		go func() {
+			for i := range work {
+				f(i)
+			}
+			wg.Done()
+		}()
+	}
+
+	for x := 0; x < xrange; x++ {
+		work <- x
+	}
+	close(work)
+
+	wg.Wait()
+}