Thanks!
2. I did set up pages in order but my question was how to work with designing a cover SPREAD in InDesign to cross both pages when you have the imposition of the covers at opposite ends of the document. I’m used to Illustrator where it is one spread.
3. I have successfully done many tri-fold brochures where I set up guides in InDesign. My surprise was using separate pages for the panels. I had just never considered it.

Thank you for replying.

2. In pages palette, the catalog template is set to facing pages with cover one on page one and back cover on final page. (I normally do covers in Illustrator but a printer asked for the catalog cover in the same InDesign file.) When images or objects need to spread over the entire cover, I set pages to do-not-shuffle pages and added a page for the back cover next to page “i.” I copied in place the spread objects and placed each on the respective front and back covers with frames reduced to the bleed lines. Then I had to turn off do-not-shuffle pages so the back cover page went to the end of the file.

3. I have always done a tri-fold on one page with guides and columns adjusted for the short fold panel (reverse for the outside and inside). I just never thought about using separate pages. I would use the same process for moving guides to adjust for a larger panel width but you might have a point about how easy it is to change page size. Is this your standard procedure?