diff --git a/.travis.yml b/.travis.yml
index bd3cb5f1b0..bfbf6f2c4b 100644
--- a/.travis.yml
+++ b/.travis.yml
@@ -15,12 +15,12 @@ matrix:
         - os: osx
           env:
             # On OS X the frameworks/dylibs contain hard coded paths, so we have to re-create the paths in the VM exactly
-            - SWBASE=/Users/kovid SW=$SWBASE/sw PATH=$SW/bin:$SW/qt/bin:$SW/python/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/bin:$PWD/node_modules/.bin:$PATH CFLAGS=-I$SW/include LDFLAGS=-L$SW/lib QMAKE=$SW/qt/bin/qmake QT_PLUGIN_PATH=$SW/qt/plugins 
+            - SWBASE=/Users/kovid SW=$SWBASE/sw PATH=$SW/bin:$SW/qt/bin:$SW/python/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/bin:$PWD/node_modules/.bin:$PATH CFLAGS=-I$SW/include LDFLAGS=-L$SW/lib QMAKE=$SW/qt/bin/qmake QT_PLUGIN_PATH=$SW/qt/plugins
 
 before_install:
-    - if [[ "$TRAVIS_OS_NAME" == "linux" ]]; then curl https://download.calibre-ebook.com/travis/sw-linux.tar.xz | tar xJ -C $HOME; fi
+    - if [[ "$TRAVIS_OS_NAME" == "linux" ]]; then python setup/ci-download.py https://download.calibre-ebook.com/travis/sw-linux.tar.xz J $HOME; fi
     - if [[ "$TRAVIS_OS_NAME" == "osx" ]]; then sudo mkdir -p $SWBASE && sudo chown $USER $SWBASE; fi
-    - if [[ "$TRAVIS_OS_NAME" == "osx" ]]; then curl https://download.calibre-ebook.com/travis/sw-osx.tar.bz2 | tar xj -C $SWBASE; fi
+    - if [[ "$TRAVIS_OS_NAME" == "osx" ]]; then python setup/ci-download.py https://download.calibre-ebook.com/travis/sw-osx.tar.bz2 j $SWBASE; fi
     - npm install --no-optional rapydscript-ng && echo $PATH && which rapydscript && rapydscript --version
     - python setup.py bootstrap --ephemeral
     - if [[ "$TRAVIS_OS_NAME" == "osx" ]]; then export SSL_CERT_FILE=$PWD/resources/mozilla-ca-certs.pem; fi
diff --git a/setup/ci-download.py b/setup/ci-download.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..d89a5069e2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/setup/ci-download.py
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python
+# vim:fileencoding=utf-8
+# License: GPLv3 Copyright: 2017, Kovid Goyal <kovid at kovidgoyal.net>
+
+from __future__ import absolute_import, division, print_function, unicode_literals
+
+import sys, subprocess
+from tempfile import NamedTemporaryFile
+
+url, compression, dest = sys.argv[-3:]
+
+
+def decompress(path):
+    raise SystemExit(
+        subprocess.Popen(['tar', 'x' + compression + 'f', path, '-C', dest]).wait()
+    )
+
+
+if __name__ == '__main__':
+    for i in range(5):
+        if i:
+            print('Failed to download', url, 'retrying...'.format(url))
+        else:
+            print('Downloading', url, '...')
+        with NamedTemporaryFile() as f:
+            ret = subprocess.Popen(['curl', url], stdout=f).wait()
+            if ret == 0:
+                decompress(f.name)
+                break