diff --git a/compression/varint.go b/compression/varint.go
index 04fd83a..177743f 100644
--- a/compression/varint.go
+++ b/compression/varint.go
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ const (
 
 // PutVarint encodes an int32 into buf and returns the number of bytes written.
 // If the buffer is too small, PutVarint will panic.
-// Format: ESDDDDDD EDDDDDDD EDD... Extended, Data, Sign
+// Format: ESDDDDDD EDDDDDDD EDD... Extended, Sign, Data
 // E: is next byte part of the current integer
 // S: Sign of integer
 // Data, Integer bits that follow the sign
@@ -91,12 +91,17 @@ func Varint(buf []byte) (i int, n int) {
 	for i, b := range buf {
 		index++
 		// overflow check
-		if i == maxAllowedLen-1 && b >= 0b10000000 {
+		// 1 sign bit + 6 data bits = 7 bits
+		// 7 bits * 4 bytes = 28 bits
+		// 7 + 28 = 35 bits, 3 too many
+		// last byte can only have 4 bits
+		if i == maxAllowedLen-1 && b > 0b00001111 {
 			return 0, -(i + 1)
 		}
 
 		value |= int(b&0b01111111) << (6 + 7*i)
 		if b < 0b10000000 {
+			// no extend bit set
 			break
 		}
 	}
@@ -145,9 +150,14 @@ func ReadVarint(r io.ByteReader) (int, error) {
 			}
 			return value, nil
 		}
-
 		index++
-		if i == maxAllowedLen-1 && b >= 0b10000000 {
+
+		// overflow check
+		// 1 sign bit + 6 data bits = 7 bits
+		// 7 bits * 4 bytes = 28 bits
+		// 7 + 28 = 35 bits, 3 too many
+		// last byte can only have 4 bits
+		if i == maxAllowedLen-1 && b > 0b00001111 {
 			return 0, errors.New("overflow due to invalid last byte")
 		}
 
diff --git a/compression/varint_test.go b/compression/varint_test.go
index 723bb6a..61e269b 100644
--- a/compression/varint_test.go
+++ b/compression/varint_test.go
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package compression
 import (
 	"bytes"
 	"io"
+	"math"
 	"testing"
 
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
@@ -15,12 +16,14 @@ func varIntWriteRead(t *testing.T, inNumber int, expectedBytes int) {
 	written := PutVarint(buf, inNumber)
 	require.Equal(expectedBytes, written)
 	out, read := Varint(buf)
+	require.GreaterOrEqual(read, 1, "read must be at least 0")
 	require.Equal(inNumber, out, "out == in")
 	require.Equal(written, read, "read == written")
 	// buf := buf[:written]
 }
 
-func TestVarint(t *testing.T) {
+func TestVarintBoundaries(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
 
 	varIntWriteRead(t, 63, 1)
 	varIntWriteRead(t, 64, 2)
@@ -30,6 +33,15 @@ func TestVarint(t *testing.T) {
 	varIntWriteRead(t, 134217728-1, 4) // 2^(6+7+7+7) -1
 	varIntWriteRead(t, 134217728, 5)   // 2^(6+7+7+7)
 
+	// int32 boundaries
+	varIntWriteRead(t, math.MaxInt32, 5) // 2^31 -1 = 2147483647
+	varIntWriteRead(t, math.MinInt32, 5) // -2^31 = -2147483648
+
+}
+
+func TestVarintExtensive(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
 	require := require.New(t)
 	for in := -20_000_000; in < 20_000_000; in++ {
 		var (
@@ -38,26 +50,9 @@ func TestVarint(t *testing.T) {
 			written   = PutVarint(buf, in)
 			out, read = Varint(buf)
 		)
+		require.GreaterOrEqual(0, read, "read must be at least 0")
 		require.Equal(in, out, "in/out")
 		require.Equal(written, read, "written/read")
-		require.GreaterOrEqual(read, 0, "read must be at least 0")
-	}
-}
-
-func TestReadVarint(t *testing.T) {
-	require := require.New(t)
-
-	buf := []byte{}
-
-	for in := -2_000_000; in < 2_000_000; in++ {
-		buf = AppendVarint(buf, in)
-	}
-
-	b := bytes.NewBuffer(buf)
-	for in := -2_000_000; in < 2_000_000; in++ {
-		out, err := ReadVarint(b)
-		require.NoError(err)
-		require.Equal(in, out, "out != in")
 	}
 }