diff --git a/src/riscv/lib/src/machine_state.rs b/src/riscv/lib/src/machine_state.rs
index 8ee16d6a4f031eb572b8f8a90df617e2ee63a781..56a9eed292a3d2adb2d1297e645c81da3c770368 100644
--- a/src/riscv/lib/src/machine_state.rs
+++ b/src/riscv/lib/src/machine_state.rs
@@ -867,7 +867,6 @@ mod tests {
             instruction::{CIBTypeArgs, ITypeArgs, Instr, SBTypeArgs},
             parse_block,
         },
-        state_backend::tests::read_backend,
         traps::{EnvironException, Exception, Interrupt, TrapContext},
     };
     use crate::{bits::u64, machine_state::bus::main_memory::M1K};
@@ -1252,7 +1251,7 @@ mod tests {
 
         // The two backends should have the same state.
         assert_eq!(result, alt_result);
-        assert_eq!(read_backend(&backend), read_backend(&alt_backend));
+        assert_eq!(backend, alt_backend);
     });
 
     // Test that the machine state does not behave differently when potential ephermeral state is
@@ -1460,6 +1459,6 @@ mod tests {
         // Both backends should have transitioned to the same state.
         assert_eq!(result, 1);
         assert_eq!(result, alt_result);
-        assert_eq!(read_backend(&backend), read_backend(&alt_backend));
+        assert_eq!(backend, alt_backend);
     });
 }
diff --git a/src/riscv/lib/src/ocaml_api.rs b/src/riscv/lib/src/ocaml_api.rs
index e9b99e943223614ad62e281f9771b5ba2508b067..643530e2a1cb2b6208591a6852cb24ffa9219a74 100644
--- a/src/riscv/lib/src/ocaml_api.rs
+++ b/src/riscv/lib/src/ocaml_api.rs
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ pub fn octez_riscv_storage_id_equal(id1: Pointer<Id>, id2: Pointer<Id>) -> bool
 #[ocaml::func]
 #[ocaml::sig("state -> state -> bool")]
 pub fn octez_riscv_storage_state_equal(state1: Pointer<State>, state2: Pointer<State>) -> bool {
-    state1.as_ref().0.to_bytes() == state2.as_ref().0.to_bytes()
+    state1.as_ref().0 == state2.as_ref().0
 }
 
 #[ocaml::func]
diff --git a/src/riscv/lib/src/pvm/node_pvm.rs b/src/riscv/lib/src/pvm/node_pvm.rs
index 1c973b683b6b1fb7fe0924c4bca6011c177cc0c6..172077557ed64aef5bfc4175a6b9af32a84e3802 100644
--- a/src/riscv/lib/src/pvm/node_pvm.rs
+++ b/src/riscv/lib/src/pvm/node_pvm.rs
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ pub enum PvmError {
     SerializationError(String),
 }
 
-#[derive(Clone)]
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, PartialEq, Eq)]
 pub struct NodePvm {
     backend: InMemoryBackend<StateLayout>,
 }
diff --git a/src/riscv/lib/src/state_backend.rs b/src/riscv/lib/src/state_backend.rs
index 0e3cbb2a4c35defcab151ef7ba8aefef370d4552..330dba9b8447a83d2781eb50cfe6c559c2606fec 100644
--- a/src/riscv/lib/src/state_backend.rs
+++ b/src/riscv/lib/src/state_backend.rs
@@ -211,6 +211,7 @@ pub trait Backend: BackendManagement + Sized {
 
 pub mod test_helpers {
     use super::{Backend, Layout};
+    use std::fmt;
 
     /// Generate a test against all test backends.
     #[macro_export]
@@ -230,7 +231,7 @@ pub mod test_helpers {
 
     /// This lets you construct backends for any layout.
     pub trait TestBackendFactory {
-        type Backend<L: Layout>: Backend<Layout = L> + Clone;
+        type Backend<L: Layout>: Backend<Layout = L> + Clone + fmt::Debug + Eq;
 
         /// Construct a backend for the given layout `L`.
         fn new<L: Layout>() -> Self::Backend<L>;
diff --git a/src/riscv/lib/src/state_backend/memory_backend.rs b/src/riscv/lib/src/state_backend/memory_backend.rs
index 5e3e4f6ac0ce085caf3d5d5658194d6d09138f08..e8169e589b718609a966a7ec79a9034aa28e82e7 100644
--- a/src/riscv/lib/src/state_backend/memory_backend.rs
+++ b/src/riscv/lib/src/state_backend/memory_backend.rs
@@ -70,6 +70,36 @@ impl<T> Clone for InMemoryBackend<T> {
     }
 }
 
+impl<L> std::fmt::Debug for InMemoryBackend<L> {
+    fn fmt(&self, f: &mut std::fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> std::fmt::Result {
+        f.debug_struct("InMemoryBackend")
+            .field("backing_storage", &self.backing_storage)
+            .field("layout", &self.layout)
+            .field("_pd", &self._pd)
+            .finish()
+    }
+}
+
+impl<L> PartialEq for InMemoryBackend<L> {
+    fn eq(&self, other: &Self) -> bool {
+        if self.backing_storage == other.backing_storage {
+            return true;
+        }
+
+        if self.layout != other.layout {
+            return false;
+        }
+
+        let slice = unsafe { std::slice::from_raw_parts(self.backing_storage, self.layout.size()) };
+        let other_slice =
+            unsafe { std::slice::from_raw_parts(other.backing_storage, other.layout.size()) };
+
+        slice.eq(other_slice)
+    }
+}
+
+impl<L> Eq for InMemoryBackend<L> {}
+
 impl<L: Layout> backend::BackendManagement for InMemoryBackend<L> {
     type Manager<'backend> = SliceManager<'backend>;
 
diff --git a/src/riscv/lib/tests/test_pvm_storage.rs b/src/riscv/lib/tests/test_pvm_storage.rs
index db5a0c262b3c8849579185d14df01caa3fb1c17a..b57e8a9566adcc450fcf7b24f75a40010be6366a 100644
--- a/src/riscv/lib/tests/test_pvm_storage.rs
+++ b/src/riscv/lib/tests/test_pvm_storage.rs
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ fn test_pvm_storage() {
     let mut repo = PvmStorage::load(tmp_dir.path()).unwrap();
     let id = repo.commit(&empty).unwrap();
     let checked_out_empty = repo.checkout(&id).unwrap();
-    assert_eq!(empty.to_bytes(), checked_out_empty.to_bytes());
+    assert_eq!(empty, checked_out_empty);
     let id2 = repo.commit(&empty).unwrap();
     assert_eq!(id, id2);
     repo.close()