diff --git a/gpkit/keydict.py b/gpkit/keydict.py
index 27f252902..7285f03b4 100644
--- a/gpkit/keydict.py
+++ b/gpkit/keydict.py
@@ -44,14 +44,13 @@ class KeyMap:
     attribute, that key can be set and accessed normally.
     """
     collapse_arrays = False
-    keymap = []
+    keymap = defaultdict(set)
     log_gets = False
     varkeys = None
     vks = None
 
     def __init__(self, *args, **kwargs):
         "Passes through to super().__init__ via the `update()` method"
-        self.keymap = defaultdict(set)
         self._unmapped_keys = set()
         self.owned = set()
         self.update(*args, **kwargs)  # pylint: disable=no-member
@@ -106,7 +105,7 @@ def __contains__(self, key):  # pylint:disable=too-many-return-statements
                                      " for value %s" %
                                      (key, idx, super().__getitem__(key)))  # pylint: disable=no-member
             return True
-        return key in self.keymap
+        return any(super().__contains__(k) for k in self.keymap[key])
 
     def update_keymap(self):
         "Updates the keymap with the keys in _unmapped_keys"
@@ -172,7 +171,10 @@ def __call__(self, key):  # if uniting is ever a speed hit, cache it
     def __getitem__(self, key):
         "Overloads __getitem__ and [] access to work with all keys"
         key, idx = self.parse_and_index(key)
-        keys = self.keymap[key]
+        if super().__contains__(key):
+            keys = [key]
+        else:
+            keys = self.keymap[key]
         if not keys:
             del self.keymap[key]  # remove blank entry added by defaultdict
             raise KeyError(key)