diff --git a/libpkgconf/cache.c b/libpkgconf/cache.c
index 259577d..16190b5 100644
--- a/libpkgconf/cache.c
+++ b/libpkgconf/cache.c
@@ -29,6 +29,46 @@
  * be shared across threads.
  */
 
+static int
+cache_member_cmp(const void *a, const void *b)
+{
+	const char *key = a;
+	const pkgconf_pkg_t *pkg = *(void **) b;
+
+	return strcmp(key, pkg->id);
+}
+
+static int
+cache_member_sort_cmp(const void *a, const void *b)
+{
+	const pkgconf_pkg_t *pkgA = *(void **) a;
+	const pkgconf_pkg_t *pkgB = *(void **) b;
+
+	if (pkgA == NULL)
+		return 1;
+
+	if (pkgB == NULL)
+		return -1;
+
+	return strcmp(pkgA->id, pkgB->id);
+}
+
+static void
+cache_dump(const pkgconf_client_t *client)
+{
+	size_t i;
+
+	PKGCONF_TRACE(client, "dumping package cache contents");
+
+	for (i = 0; i < client->cache_count; i++)
+	{
+		const pkgconf_pkg_t *pkg = client->cache_table[i];
+
+		PKGCONF_TRACE(client, "%zu: %p(%s)",
+			i, pkg, pkg == NULL ? "NULL" : pkg->id);
+	}
+}
+
 /*
  * !doc
  *
@@ -46,17 +86,16 @@
 pkgconf_pkg_t *
 pkgconf_cache_lookup(pkgconf_client_t *client, const char *id)
 {
-	pkgconf_node_t *node;
+	pkgconf_pkg_t **pkg;
 
-	PKGCONF_FOREACH_LIST_ENTRY(client->pkg_cache.head, node)
+	pkg = bsearch(id, client->cache_table,
+		client->cache_count, sizeof (void *),
+		cache_member_cmp);
+
+	if (pkg != NULL)
 	{
-		pkgconf_pkg_t *pkg = node->data;
-
-		if (!strcmp(pkg->id, id))
-		{
-			PKGCONF_TRACE(client, "found: %s @%p", id, pkg);
-			return pkgconf_pkg_ref(client, pkg);
-		}
+		PKGCONF_TRACE(client, "found: %s @%p", id, *pkg);
+		return pkgconf_pkg_ref(client, *pkg);
 	}
 
 	PKGCONF_TRACE(client, "miss: %s", id);
@@ -82,12 +121,19 @@ pkgconf_cache_add(pkgconf_client_t *client, pkgconf_pkg_t *pkg)
 		return;
 
 	pkgconf_pkg_ref(client, pkg);
-	pkgconf_node_insert(&pkg->cache_iter, pkg, &client->pkg_cache);
 
 	PKGCONF_TRACE(client, "added @%p to cache", pkg);
 
 	/* mark package as cached */
 	pkg->flags |= PKGCONF_PKG_PROPF_CACHED;
+
+	++client->cache_count;
+	client->cache_table = reallocarray(client->cache_table,
+		client->cache_count, sizeof (void *));
+	client->cache_table[client->cache_count - 1] = pkg;
+
+	qsort(client->cache_table, client->cache_count,
+		sizeof(void *), cache_member_sort_cmp);
 }
 
 /*
@@ -112,7 +158,31 @@ pkgconf_cache_remove(pkgconf_client_t *client, pkgconf_pkg_t *pkg)
 
 	PKGCONF_TRACE(client, "removed @%p from cache", pkg);
 
-	pkgconf_node_delete(&pkg->cache_iter, &client->pkg_cache);
+	pkgconf_pkg_t **slot;
+
+	slot = bsearch(pkg->id, client->cache_table,
+		client->cache_count, sizeof (void *),
+		cache_member_cmp);
+
+	if (slot == NULL)
+		return;
+
+	*slot = NULL;
+
+	qsort(client->cache_table, client->cache_count,
+		sizeof(void *), cache_member_sort_cmp);
+
+	if (client->cache_table[client->cache_count - 1] != NULL)
+	{
+		PKGCONF_TRACE(client, "end of cache table refers to %p, not NULL",
+			client->cache_table[client->cache_count - 1]);
+		cache_dump(client);
+		abort();
+	}
+
+	client->cache_count--;
+	client->cache_table = reallocarray(client->cache_table,
+		client->cache_count, sizeof(void *));
 }
 
 static inline void
@@ -141,12 +211,17 @@ clear_dependency_matches(pkgconf_list_t *list)
 void
 pkgconf_cache_free(pkgconf_client_t *client)
 {
-	pkgconf_node_t *iter, *iter2;
+	pkgconf_pkg_t **cache_table;
+	size_t i, count;
+
+	cache_table = reallocarray(NULL, client->cache_count, sizeof (void *));
+	memcpy(cache_table, client->cache_table,
+		client->cache_count * sizeof (void *));
 
 	/* first we clear cached match pointers */
-	PKGCONF_FOREACH_LIST_ENTRY(client->pkg_cache.head, iter)
+	for (i = 0, count = client->cache_count; i < count; i++)
 	{
-		pkgconf_pkg_t *pkg = iter->data;
+		pkgconf_pkg_t *pkg = cache_table[i];
 
 		clear_dependency_matches(&pkg->required);
 		clear_dependency_matches(&pkg->requires_private);
@@ -155,13 +230,11 @@ pkgconf_cache_free(pkgconf_client_t *client)
 	}
 
 	/* now forcibly free everything */
-	PKGCONF_FOREACH_LIST_ENTRY_SAFE(client->pkg_cache.head, iter2, iter)
+	for (i = 0, count = client->cache_count; i < count; i++)
 	{
-		pkgconf_pkg_t *pkg = iter->data;
+		pkgconf_pkg_t *pkg = cache_table[i];
 		pkgconf_pkg_free(client, pkg);
 	}
 
-	memset(&client->pkg_cache, 0, sizeof client->pkg_cache);
-
 	PKGCONF_TRACE(client, "cleared package cache");
 }
diff --git a/libpkgconf/libpkgconf.h b/libpkgconf/libpkgconf.h
index 8036946..27c5597 100644
--- a/libpkgconf/libpkgconf.h
+++ b/libpkgconf/libpkgconf.h
@@ -128,8 +128,6 @@ struct pkgconf_path_ {
 #define PKGCONF_PKG_PROPF_VIRTUAL		0x10
 
 struct pkgconf_pkg_ {
-	pkgconf_node_t cache_iter;
-
 	int refcount;
 	char *id;
 	char *filename;
@@ -171,7 +169,6 @@ typedef bool (*pkgconf_error_handler_func_t)(const char *msg, const pkgconf_clie
 
 struct pkgconf_client_ {
 	pkgconf_list_t dir_list;
-	pkgconf_list_t pkg_cache;
 
 	pkgconf_list_t filter_libdirs;
 	pkgconf_list_t filter_includedirs;
@@ -198,6 +195,9 @@ struct pkgconf_client_ {
 	bool already_sent_notice;
 
 	uint64_t serial;
+
+	pkgconf_pkg_t **cache_table;
+	size_t cache_count;
 };
 
 struct pkgconf_cross_personality_ {