Systems and methods for packet re-transmission in multi-hop wireless networks are provided. In some embodiments, RLP packet re-transmission only starts from the hop where L1 ARQ fails. This can result in an increased efficiency of radio resource utilization, such as in implementations where the last hop is more unstable than the remaining hops. In some embodiments, a short RLP recovery delay enables a higher number of re-transmissions of lost RLP packets which, in turn, translates into a higher target physical layer FER (frame error rate) being allowed and/or an increased system capacity. Alternately or additionally, a short RLP recovery delay may reduce the possibility of TCP re-transmission and slow start.