diff --git a/common/tuples.hh b/common/tuples.hh
index ebba0782b34f6389e031d9f34b6966ca52880e21..fe012e679f1ae3c0c7d37fe87e23a452d9b62004 100644
--- a/common/tuples.hh
+++ b/common/tuples.hh
@@ -10,8 +10,7 @@
 
 #ifdef HAVE_TUPLE
 #include <tuple>
-#endif
-#ifdef HAVE_TR1_TUPLE
+#elif defined HAVE_TR1_TUPLE
 #include <tr1/tuple>
 #endif
 
@@ -438,8 +437,14 @@ namespace Dune {
 #endif
 #define ElementType tuple_element
 
-#ifdef HAVE_TR1_TUPLE
+#if defined HAVE_TUPLE || defined HAVE_TR1_TUPLE
+#ifdef HAVE_TUPLE
+  #define TUPLE_NS std
+  using std::get;
+#elif defined HAVE_TR1_TUPLE
+  #define TUPLE_NS std::tr1
   using std::tr1::get;
+#endif
 
   // for backwards compatibility
   template<int i>
@@ -447,33 +452,17 @@ namespace Dune {
     template<typename T1>
     static typename TupleAccessTraits<typename tuple_element<i,T1>::type>::NonConstType get(T1& t)
     {
-      return std::tr1::get<i>(t);
+      return TUPLE_NS::get<i>(t);
     }
 
     template<typename T1>
     static typename TupleAccessTraits<typename tuple_element<i,T1>::type>::ConstType get(const T1& t)
     {
-      return std::tr1::get<i>(t);
+      return TUPLE_NS::get<i>(t);
     }
   };
-#elif defined HAVE_TUPLE
-  using std::get;
-
-  // for backwards compatibility
-  template<int i>
-  struct Element {
-    template<typename T1>
-    static typename TupleAccessTraits<typename tuple_element<i,T1>::type>::NonConstType get(T1& t)
-    {
-      return std::get<i>(t);
-    }
+  #undef TUPLE_NS
 
-    template<typename T1>
-    static typename TupleAccessTraits<typename tuple_element<i,T1>::type>::ConstType get(const T1& t)
-    {
-      return std::get<i>(t);
-    }
-  };
 #else
   /**
    * @brief Get the N-th element of a tuple.
@@ -559,10 +548,10 @@ namespace Dune {
 
 #endif
 
-#ifdef HAVE_TR1_TUPLE
-  using std::tr1::tuple_size;
-#elif defined HAVE_TUPLE
+#ifdef HAVE_TUPLE
   using std::tuple_size;
+#elif defined HAVE_TR1_TUPLE
+  using std::tr1::tuple_size;
 #else
   /**
    * @brief Template meta_programm to query the size of a tuple
@@ -601,13 +590,12 @@ namespace Dune {
 
 #define Size  tuple_size
 
-#ifdef HAVE_TR1_TUPLE
-  using std::tr1::tie;
-  using std::tr1::make_tuple;
-#endif
 #ifdef HAVE_TUPLE
   using std::tie;
   using std::make_tuple;
+#elif defined HAVE_TR1_TUPLE
+  using std::tr1::tie;
+  using std::tr1::make_tuple;
 #endif
 
 #if defined HAVE_TUPLE || defined HAVE_TR1_TUPLE
@@ -634,14 +622,78 @@ namespace Dune {
   /**
    * \brief Print a tuple.
    */
+  template<typename T1>
+  inline std::ostream& operator<<( std::ostream& os, const tuple<T1> & t)
+  {
+    typedef tuple<T1> Tuple;
+    return tuple_writer<tuple_size<Tuple>::value>::put(os, t);
+  }
+
+  template<typename T1, typename T2>
+  inline std::ostream& operator<<( std::ostream& os, const tuple<T1,T2> & t)
+  {
+    typedef tuple<T1,T2> Tuple;
+    return tuple_writer<tuple_size<Tuple>::value>::put(os, t);
+  }
+
+  template<typename T1, typename T2, typename T3>
+  inline std::ostream& operator<<( std::ostream& os, const tuple<T1,T2,T3> & t)
+  {
+    typedef tuple<T1,T2,T3> Tuple;
+    return tuple_writer<tuple_size<Tuple>::value>::put(os, t);
+  }
+
+  template<typename T1, typename T2, typename T3, typename T4>
+  inline std::ostream& operator<<( std::ostream& os, const tuple<T1,T2,T3,T4> & t)
+  {
+    typedef tuple<T1,T2,T3,T4> Tuple;
+    return tuple_writer<tuple_size<Tuple>::value>::put(os, t);
+  }
+
+  template<typename T1, typename T2, typename T3, typename T4, typename T5>
+  inline std::ostream& operator<<( std::ostream& os, const tuple<T1,T2,T3,T4,T5> & t)
+  {
+    typedef tuple<T1,T2,T3,T4,T5> Tuple;
+    return tuple_writer<tuple_size<Tuple>::value>::put(os, t);
+  }
+
+  template<typename T1, typename T2, typename T3, typename T4, typename T5, typename T6>
+  inline std::ostream& operator<<( std::ostream& os, const tuple<T1,T2,T3,T4,T5,T6> & t)
+  {
+    typedef tuple<T1,T2,T3,T4,T5,T6> Tuple;
+    return tuple_writer<tuple_size<Tuple>::value>::put(os, t);
+  }
+
+  template<typename T1, typename T2, typename T3, typename T4, typename T5, typename T6, typename T7>
+  inline std::ostream& operator<<( std::ostream& os, const tuple<T1,T2,T3,T4,T5,T6,T7> & t)
+  {
+    typedef tuple<T1,T2,T3,T4,T5,T6,T7> Tuple;
+    return tuple_writer<tuple_size<Tuple>::value>::put(os, t);
+  }
+
+  template<typename T1, typename T2, typename T3, typename T4, typename T5, typename T6, typename T7,
+      typename T8>
+  inline std::ostream& operator<<( std::ostream& os, const tuple<T1,T2,T3,T4,T5,T6,T7,T8> & t)
+  {
+    typedef tuple<T1,T2,T3,T4,T5,T6,T7,T8> Tuple;
+    return tuple_writer<tuple_size<Tuple>::value>::put(os, t);
+  }
+
   template<typename T1, typename T2, typename T3, typename T4, typename T5, typename T6, typename T7,
       typename T8, typename T9>
-  inline std::ostream& operator<<( std::ostream& os, tuple<T1,T2,T3,T4,T5,T6,T7,T8,T9> t)
+  inline std::ostream& operator<<( std::ostream& os, const tuple<T1,T2,T3,T4,T5,T6,T7,T8,T9> & t)
   {
     typedef tuple<T1,T2,T3,T4,T5,T6,T7,T8,T9> Tuple;
     return tuple_writer<tuple_size<Tuple>::value>::put(os, t);
   }
 
+  template<typename T1, typename T2, typename T3, typename T4, typename T5, typename T6, typename T7,
+      typename T8, typename T9, typename T10>
+  inline std::ostream& operator<<( std::ostream& os, const tuple<T1,T2,T3,T4,T5,T6,T7,T8,T9,T10> & t)
+  {
+    typedef tuple<T1,T2,T3,T4,T5,T6,T7,T8,T9,T10> Tuple;
+    return tuple_writer<tuple_size<Tuple>::value>::put(os, t);
+  }
 
 #else
   /**