diff --git a/test/config.sh b/test/config.sh
index 2015de02..cd5d32e3 100644
--- a/test/config.sh
+++ b/test/config.sh
@@ -31,6 +31,8 @@ SSH=${SSH:-ssh -l vagrant -i ./insecure_private_key -o UserKnownHostsFile=./.ssh
 
 SMALL_IMAGE="gliderlabs/alpine"
 DNS_IMAGE="aanand/docker-dnsutils"
+TEST_IMAGES="$SMALL_IMAGE $DNS_IMAGE"
+
 PING="ping -nq -W 1 -c 1"
 CHECK_ETHWE_UP="grep ^1$ /sys/class/net/ethwe/carrier"
 
diff --git a/test/setup.sh b/test/setup.sh
index 3a147517..147475f4 100755
--- a/test/setup.sh
+++ b/test/setup.sh
@@ -6,7 +6,8 @@ set -e
 
 (cd ./tls && go get ./... && go run generate_certs.go $HOSTS)
 
-echo Copying weave images, scripts, and certificates to hosts
+echo "Copying weave images, scripts, and certificates to hosts, and"
+echo "  prefetch docker images"
 for HOST in $HOSTS; do
     docker_on $HOST load -i ../weave.tar
     docker_on $HOST load -i ../weavedns.tar
@@ -16,4 +17,7 @@ for HOST in $HOSTS; do
     cat ../weave | run_on $HOST sh -c "cat > ./weave"
     run_on $HOST chmod a+x $DOCKER_NS ./weave
     rsync -az -e "$SSH" ./tls/ $HOST:~/tls
+    for IMG in $TEST_IMAGES ; do
+        docker_on $HOST inspect --format=" " $IMG >/dev/null 2>&1 || docker_on $HOST pull $IMG
+    done
 done