sequence of events for hiding a cache

[+Beach Picnic]

which do I do first when hiding a new cache?

Do i  1st hide the container, then 2nd post the cache data for the reviewer and wait for approval for it to go "live" online

or

Do i  1st post the cache data for the reviewer and IF it is approved, THEN go hide the container?

Thanks, Beach Picnic

[Keystone]

From the Geocache Hiding Guidelines:

 

Quote

A geocache must be in place and ready to be found before you submit the cache page for review.

 

Often, caches are published very quickly.  If the container is not in place, local geocachers seeking an FTF will be disappointed.  They can be very quick as well!

 

I encourage you to read the Guidelines in their entirety, along with the Help Center section on Hiding a Cache.

[+Beach Picnic]

46 minutes ago, Beach Picnic said:

which do I do first when hiding a new cache?

Do i  1st hide the container, then 2nd post the cache data for the reviewer and wait for approval for it to go "live" online

or

Do i  1st post the cache data for the reviewer and IF it is approved, THEN go hide the container?

Thanks, Beach Picnic

 

11 minutes ago, Keystone said:

From the Geocache Hiding Guidelines:

 

 

Often, caches are published very quickly.  If the container is not in place, local geocachers seeking an FTF will be disappointed.  They can be very quick as well!

 

I encourage you to read the Guidelines in their entirety, along with the Help Center section on Hiding a Cache.

I understand, and will do, thank you for your guidance.

[+Max and 99]

1 hour ago, Beach Picnic said:

Do i  1st post the cache data for the reviewer and IF it is approved, THEN go hide the container?

Here's a scenario: a new geocache gets published, and the kids and I run out to go find it. We search and search at night and cannot locate it. It must be higher than we expected! We go back home, get a step stool and return to ground zero to search again. Log our dnf because we just cannot find it! Then receive a note from the cache owner, saying " I didn't place the geocache yet. I hope you will come back to find it when I do."

 

Oh heck no! We're done. 

 

This has happened more than once to my family. Thankfully the reviewers take care of it when they find out. 

 

 

[+The_Jumping_Pig]

5 hours ago, Max and 99 said:

Here's a scenario: a new geocache gets published, and the kids and I run out to go find it. We search and search at night and cannot locate it. It must be higher than we expected! We go back home, get a step stool and return to ground zero to search again. Log our dnf because we just cannot find it! Then receive a note from the cache owner, saying " I didn't place the geocache yet. I hope you will come back to find it when I do."

 

Oh heck no! We're done. 

 

This has happened more than once to my family. Thankfully the reviewers take care of it when they find out. 

Went for an FTF a couple months back and failed to find it. The hint and title made perfect sense with the location we found but nothing. Geofriend of mine followed suite with another DNF. A few days later somebody got FTF... and when I came back a couple months later I can say for sure that the cache was not in place when I went for it

[+kunarion]

6 hours ago, Keystone said:

Often, caches are published very quickly.  If the container is not in place, local geocachers seeking an FTF will be disappointed.  They can be very quick as well!

 

There was a local reviewer who would at times activate my cache within 30 minutes.  The FTF hounds would mobilize, maybe logging it within another 30 minutes.  Most take longer, but that container must first be in place and ready to be found.  

 

Mine are in place weeks or months in advance, and I tweak the hide, check it to see if it gets disturbed by muggles or animals, just generally making sure it's a suitable location.

[francalkova]

I’d recommend posting the cache data first and waiting for approval before hiding the container. When I’ve hidden caches in the past, I found that getting the review out of the way first made the process less stressful. That way, once it’s approved, I can just go ahead and hide the container without worrying if something in the listing might need tweaking. It just felt like a smoother flow overall, especially since some reviewers might have a few questions or tweaks before they approve.

[+Max and 99]

13 minutes ago, francalkova said:

I’d recommend posting the cache data first and waiting for approval before hiding the container. When I’ve hidden caches in the past, I found that getting the review out of the way first made the process less stressful. That way, once it’s approved, I can just go ahead and hide the container without worrying if something in the listing might need tweaking. It just felt like a smoother flow overall, especially since some reviewers might have a few questions or tweaks before they approve.

I hope your local reviewer reads this post.

[Keystone]

1 hour ago, francalkova said:

I’d recommend posting the cache data first and waiting for approval before hiding the container.

::: Looks up cache owner's profile :::

::: Checks to see if cache owner is in my Review Territory :::

::: Breathes sigh of relief and reaches for bourbon bottle :::

[+Smitherington]

I hide it first so when it is approved all is ready to go. I don’t want to have to rush out if it gets approved sooner than I expected. 
 

I believe the reviewers get to know hiders a bit and their confidence in the hider having done everything correctly improves over time. I want my reviewers to have confidence and not cringe when my name pops up in their submissions list. 
 

To any new hiders, start off well. 

[+CAVinoGal]

We will often do a "coordinate check" with our reviewer as we are preparing the cache page, just to be sure the location we have scoped out is available, and if it isn't we can look for another location and maybe change up the hide style to match the new location.  That often dictates a change in the write up.

 

Once we know our location is good, we will complete the write up, hide the cache, and then submit the cache page for review.  We've had some publish within the hour, and an FTF soon after that, so no time to go out and hide it after it goes live!  The guidelines do say that the cache should be in place when you submit, because you never know when it will go live!  And we have some avid FTF'ers that are there, sometimes within minutes after publication!

 

You *could* get it all ready, and add a reviewer note that it is not yet in place and you want to know that it will be published before you actually put it in place, but that seems an unnecessary step, and a delay that doesn't need to happen.  Get a reviewer OK on the location, then hide it, finish the writeup, and submit.  Then sit back and watch the fun!

Edited February 6 by CAVinoGal

[+hzoi]

On 2/5/2025 at 3:13 PM, francalkova said:

I’d recommend posting the cache data first and waiting for approval before hiding the container. When I’ve hidden caches in the past, I found that getting the review out of the way first made the process less stressful. That way, once it’s approved, I can just go ahead and hide the container without worrying if something in the listing might need tweaking. It just felt like a smoother flow overall, especially since some reviewers might have a few questions or tweaks before they approve.

 

This is not, in fact, the preferred technique. It's rather the opposite.

 

Yes, you can discuss things with your reviewer ahead of time, but when you submit the cache for review, you're agreeing that it is in place.

[+NanCycle]

On 2/5/2025 at 2:13 PM, francalkova said:

I’d recommend posting the cache data first and waiting for approval before hiding the container. When I’ve hidden caches in the past, I found that getting the review out of the way first made the process less stressful. That way, once it’s approved, I can just go ahead and hide the container without worrying if something in the listing might need tweaking. It just felt like a smoother flow overall, especially since some reviewers might have a few questions or tweaks before they approve.

OMG!! NO! NO! NO!

 

[+madnlooney]

Having done my first one, i hide it first so i could use the app to get the correct coordinates. Then i did all the data waited for the review and had to go and get it to move it because it was to close to a hidden one which without solving i had no idea it was there .
Once that was done and a few tweeks of the description including a mistyped coordinate in there all is now good