Before you go: A packing list for portable DNA sequencing of microbiomes and metagenomes

This article is being drafted as we pack our genomics kit for our first polar fieldwork since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Nanopore sequencing has certainly proven itself as a disruptive technology during the pandemic, tracking the spread of SARS-CoV-2 (e.g. [1]). However, for microbiologists using nanopore sequencing for its portability, the pandemic has often disrupted their field plans. In this article, we share some reflections from exploits during the pre-pandemic era of portable sequencing. Hopefully these considerations are helpful for others seeking to take DNA sequencing where genomics has never ventured before.