diff --git a/src/compiletest/runtest.rs b/src/compiletest/runtest.rs
index adb81803ab09..8edd923390af 100644
--- a/src/compiletest/runtest.rs
+++ b/src/compiletest/runtest.rs
@@ -442,9 +442,7 @@ fn check_error_patterns(props: &TestProps,
                         testfile: &Path,
                         ProcRes: &ProcRes) {
     if props.error_patterns.is_empty() {
-        testfile.display().with_str(|s| {
-            fatal(~"no error pattern specified in " + s);
-        })
+        fatal(~"no error pattern specified in " + testfile.display().as_maybe_owned().as_slice());
     }
 
     if ProcRes.status.success() {
diff --git a/src/librustdoc/html/render.rs b/src/librustdoc/html/render.rs
index 5bd970834a64..606cb445262e 100644
--- a/src/librustdoc/html/render.rs
+++ b/src/librustdoc/html/render.rs
@@ -436,7 +436,7 @@ impl<'a> SourceCollector<'a> {
         cur.push(p.filename().expect("source has no filename") + bytes!(".html"));
         let mut w = BufferedWriter::new(if_ok!(File::create(&cur)));
 
-        let title = cur.filename_display().with_str(|s| format!("{} -- source", s));
+        let title = format!("{} -- source", cur.filename_display());
         let page = layout::Page {
             title: title,
             ty: "source",
diff --git a/src/libstd/path/mod.rs b/src/libstd/path/mod.rs
index fd75a486e8d6..ed0ce2017508 100644
--- a/src/libstd/path/mod.rs
+++ b/src/libstd/path/mod.rs
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ use fmt;
 use iter::Iterator;
 use option::{Option, None, Some};
 use str;
-use str::{OwnedStr, Str, StrSlice};
+use str::{MaybeOwned, OwnedStr, Str, StrSlice, from_utf8_lossy};
 use to_str::ToStr;
 use vec;
 use vec::{CloneableVector, OwnedCloneableVector, OwnedVector, Vector};
@@ -495,7 +495,7 @@ pub struct Display<'a, P> {
 
 impl<'a, P: GenericPath> fmt::Show for Display<'a, P> {
     fn fmt(&self, f: &mut fmt::Formatter) -> fmt::Result {
-        self.with_str(|s| f.pad(s))
+        self.as_maybe_owned().as_slice().fmt(f)
     }
 }
 
@@ -505,33 +505,25 @@ impl<'a, P: GenericPath> ToStr for Display<'a, P> {
     /// If the path is not UTF-8, invalid sequences with be replaced with the
     /// unicode replacement char. This involves allocation.
     fn to_str(&self) -> ~str {
-        if self.filename {
-            match self.path.filename() {
-                None => ~"",
-                Some(v) => str::from_utf8_lossy(v).into_owned()
-            }
-        } else {
-            str::from_utf8_lossy(self.path.as_vec()).into_owned()
-        }
+        self.as_maybe_owned().into_owned()
     }
 }
 
 impl<'a, P: GenericPath> Display<'a, P> {
-    /// Provides the path as a string to a closure
+    /// Returns the path as a possibly-owned string.
     ///
     /// If the path is not UTF-8, invalid sequences will be replaced with the
     /// unicode replacement char. This involves allocation.
     #[inline]
-    pub fn with_str<T>(&self, f: |&str| -> T) -> T {
-        let opt = if self.filename { self.path.filename_str() }
-                  else { self.path.as_str() };
-        match opt {
-            Some(s) => f(s),
-            None => {
-                let s = self.to_str();
-                f(s.as_slice())
+    pub fn as_maybe_owned(&self) -> MaybeOwned<'a> {
+        from_utf8_lossy(if self.filename {
+            match self.path.filename() {
+                None => &[],
+                Some(v) => v
             }
-        }
+        } else {
+            self.path.as_vec()
+        })
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/src/libstd/path/posix.rs b/src/libstd/path/posix.rs
index 6970ebfb15d7..f8e9d0ae3440 100644
--- a/src/libstd/path/posix.rs
+++ b/src/libstd/path/posix.rs
@@ -564,24 +564,16 @@ mod tests {
         macro_rules! t(
             ($path:expr, $exp:expr) => (
                 {
-                    let mut called = false;
                     let path = Path::new($path);
-                    path.display().with_str(|s| {
-                        assert_eq!(s, $exp);
-                        called = true;
-                    });
-                    assert!(called);
+                    let mo = path.display().as_maybe_owned();
+                    assert_eq!(mo.as_slice(), $exp);
                 }
             );
             ($path:expr, $exp:expr, filename) => (
                 {
-                    let mut called = false;
                     let path = Path::new($path);
-                    path.filename_display().with_str(|s| {
-                        assert_eq!(s, $exp);
-                        called = true;
-                    });
-                    assert!(called);
+                    let mo = path.filename_display().as_maybe_owned();
+                    assert_eq!(mo.as_slice(), $exp);
                 }
             )
         )
diff --git a/src/libstd/path/windows.rs b/src/libstd/path/windows.rs
index 90154adb7fef..972b7d178a11 100644
--- a/src/libstd/path/windows.rs
+++ b/src/libstd/path/windows.rs
@@ -1278,20 +1278,12 @@ mod tests {
         let path = Path::new(b!("\\"));
         assert_eq!(path.filename_display().to_str(), ~"");
 
-        let mut called = false;
         let path = Path::new("foo");
-        path.display().with_str(|s| {
-            assert_eq!(s, "foo");
-            called = true;
-        });
-        assert!(called);
-        called = false;
+        let mo = path.display().as_maybe_owned();
+        assert_eq!(mo.as_slice(), "foo");
         let path = Path::new(b!("\\"));
-        path.filename_display().with_str(|s| {
-            assert_eq!(s, "");
-            called = true;
-        });
-        assert!(called);
+        let mo = path.filename_display().as_maybe_owned();
+        assert_eq!(mo.as_slice(), "");
     }
 
     #[test]
diff --git a/src/libsyntax/parse/parser.rs b/src/libsyntax/parse/parser.rs
index aeeae94238bd..93574f4d8585 100644
--- a/src/libsyntax/parse/parser.rs
+++ b/src/libsyntax/parse/parser.rs
@@ -4200,10 +4200,10 @@ impl Parser {
                     let mut err = ~"circular modules: ";
                     let len = included_mod_stack.get().len();
                     for p in included_mod_stack.get().slice(i, len).iter() {
-                        p.display().with_str(|s| err.push_str(s));
+                        err.push_str(p.display().as_maybe_owned().as_slice());
                         err.push_str(" -> ");
                     }
-                    path.display().with_str(|s| err.push_str(s));
+                    err.push_str(path.display().as_maybe_owned().as_slice());
                     self.span_fatal(id_sp, err);
                 }
                 None => ()