The "panic date" was recorded as the day after the finish or "due out" date and was also the day Doc would contact police and a search and rescue operation begin, Doc community relations manager Annette Smith said..
Mr Taylor was prompted to issue the reminder after Wanaka volunteers and a helicopter were called in last Friday to begin searching for a tramper whose panic date had been activated.
The search was cancelled just before the helicopter took off because the man turned up.
Mr Taylor said the tramper had confused his "due out" day with his panic date.
Accuracy and attention to detail when filling out the form saved money and time, Mr Taylor said.
Trampers and climbers also needed to alert hut wardens or fill out notes in hut books if they changed their minds while in the hills, he said.
Ms Smith said problems also arose when people forgot to sign out at the end of their trip.
