diff --git a/src/basic.rs b/src/basic.rs
index 016cc6f..1019be1 100644
--- a/src/basic.rs
+++ b/src/basic.rs
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 ///
 use byteorder::{ByteOrder, BigEndian};
 use std::io;
+use std::fmt;
 
 pub type OResult = Result<usize, io::Error>;
 
@@ -14,7 +15,6 @@ pub enum ErrType {
     Failed(String),
 }
 
-
 pub fn fail<O>(input: &[u8], msg: String) -> IResult<O> {
     Err((input, ErrType::Failed(msg)))
 }
@@ -118,20 +118,21 @@ pub fn bitarray2int(bits: &[bool; 16]) -> u16 {
 }
 
 pub fn pack_bitarray(buf: &mut [u8], bits: &[bool; 16]) {
-    BigEndian::write_u16(buf, bitarray2int(bits))
+    BigEndian::write_u16(buf, bitarray2int(bits));
 }
 
 
 pub fn pack_int2(buf: &mut [u8], int: i16) {
-    BigEndian::write_i16(buf, int)
+    BigEndian::write_i16(buf, int);
 }
 
 pub fn pack_int4(buf: &mut [u8], int: i32) {
-    BigEndian::write_i32(buf, int)
+    BigEndian::write_i32(buf, int);
 }
 
-pub fn pack_real8(buf: &mut [u8], fnum: f64) {
-    BigEndian::write_u64(buf, encode_real8(fnum))
+pub fn pack_real8(buf: &mut [u8], fnum: f64) -> Result<(), FloatTooBigError> {
+    BigEndian::write_u64(buf, encode_real8(fnum)?);
+    Ok(())
 }
 
 pub fn pack_ascii(buf: &mut [u8], data: &[u8]) -> usize {
@@ -156,8 +157,18 @@ pub fn pack_datetime(buf: &mut [u8], date: &[i16; 6]) {
 }
 
 
+#[derive(Debug, Clone)]
+pub struct FloatTooBigError {
+    float_value: f64,
+}
+impl fmt::Display for FloatTooBigError {
+    fn fmt(&self, f: &mut fmt::Formatter) -> fmt::Result {
+        write!(f, "Float {0} is too large for Real8", self.float_value)
+    }
+}
+
 /// Convert from float64 to GDS REAL8 representation.
-pub fn encode_real8(fnum: f64) -> u64 {
+pub fn encode_real8(fnum: f64) -> Result<u64, FloatTooBigError> {
     // Split the ieee float bitfields
     let ieee = fnum.to_bits();
     let sign = ieee & 0x8000_0000_0000_0000;
@@ -166,7 +177,7 @@ pub fn encode_real8(fnum: f64) -> u64 {
 
     let subnorm = (ieee_exp == 0) & (ieee_mant != 0);
     if (ieee_exp == 0) & (ieee_mant == 0) {
-        return 0
+        return Ok(0)
     }
 
     // IEEE normal double is (1 + ieee_mant / 2^52) * 2^(ieee_exp - 1023)
@@ -207,7 +218,7 @@ pub fn encode_real8(fnum: f64) -> u64 {
 
     if gds_exp < -14 {
         // number is too small
-        return 0
+        return Ok(0)
     }
 
     let neg_biased = gds_exp < 0;
@@ -218,13 +229,13 @@ pub fn encode_real8(fnum: f64) -> u64 {
 
     let too_big = (gds_exp > 0x7f) & !subnorm;
     if too_big {
-        panic!("Number too big for real8 format");       //TODO error handling
+        return Err(FloatTooBigError{float_value: fnum});
     }
 
     let gds_exp_bits = (gds_exp as u64) << 56;
 
     let real8 = sign | gds_exp_bits | gds_mant;
-    real8
+    Ok(real8)
 }
 
 
@@ -281,7 +292,7 @@ mod tests {
     #[should_panic]
     fn test_encode_real8_panic() {
         use crate::basic::encode_real8;
-        encode_real8(1e80);
+        encode_real8(1e80).unwrap();
     }
 
 
@@ -348,7 +359,7 @@ mod tests {
         const REALS: [f64; 5] = [1.0, -2.0, 1e-9, 1e-3, 1e-12];
         for vv in REALS {
             print!("{vv}\n");
-            assert!((decode_real8(encode_real8(vv)) - vv).abs() < f64::EPSILON);
+            assert!((decode_real8(encode_real8(vv).unwrap()) - vv).abs() < f64::EPSILON);
         }
     }
 
@@ -359,7 +370,7 @@ mod tests {
         const REALS: [f64; COUNT] = [0.0, 1.0, -1.0, 0.5, 1e-9, 1e-3, 1e-12];
         let mut buf = [10; 8 * COUNT];
         for (ii, &vv) in REALS.iter().enumerate() {
-            pack_real8(&mut buf[ii * 8..], vv);
+            pack_real8(&mut buf[ii * 8..], vv).unwrap();
         }
         for (ii, &vv) in REALS.iter().enumerate() {
             print!("{vv}\n");
diff --git a/src/record.rs b/src/record.rs
index 7d04085..41921c4 100644
--- a/src/record.rs
+++ b/src/record.rs
@@ -279,7 +279,7 @@ impl RecordData for Real8 {
     }
 
     fn pack_into(buf: &mut [u8], data: &Self::InData) {
-        pack_real8(buf, *data)
+        pack_real8(buf, *data).expect(&format!("Float {0} too big for Real8", data))
     }
 
     fn pack(data: &Self::InData) -> Self::ByteData {
@@ -303,8 +303,8 @@ impl RecordData for Real8Pair {
     }
 
     fn pack_into(buf: &mut [u8], data: &Self::InData) {
-        pack_real8(&mut buf[8 * 0..], data.0);
-        pack_real8(&mut buf[8 * 1..], data.1);
+        pack_real8(&mut buf[8 * 0..], data.0).expect(&format!("Float.0 {0} too big for Real8", data.0));
+        pack_real8(&mut buf[8 * 1..], data.1).expect(&format!("Float.1 {0} too big for Real8", data.1));
     }
 
     fn pack(data: &Self::InData) -> Self::ByteData {