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Also they're not *just* for camping.
I've used mine to run the 600w work light at a friend's place in the woods, packing things up because of a fire evacuation. The barn we were clearing out didn't have electricity nearby, and car headlights weren't doing the job.
During longer power outages I can hook mine up to the house through a transfer switch and it'll keep the fridge running overnight on a gallon of gas, and a light or two on.
The inverter models (like mine) convert AC off the stator windings to DC, then run that DC current into an inverter to produce 2kW of 120V AC power. Because of that AC>DC>AC conversion, these engines can change the engine RPM and still hold power which allows them to run quietly and more efficiently.
The bigger usually open-framed construction site generators run at a constant 3600 RPM and couple the windings directly to the AC output. As loads are added and removed, the AC output changes dramatically and can damage sensitive electrical devices like battery chargers and computers. These are also much louder and less fuel-efficient since they run at a higher RPM, but because they don't need all the electronics they can provide significantly more power (5kW is the low end for them, some go close to 20kW single-phase, larger trailer-mounted diesel gensets can crank out 100kW+ three-phase multi-voltage power.)
Pic is the engine of the generator. Everything's been removed, this is just the cylinder/piston, head, valve drive (cover removed on the top), and crankcase. Flywheel mounts to the PTO end of the crank, visible. Carb is on top where the studs are sticking off of, crankcase breather that the airbox mounts to in the middle, and the engine oil filler on the bottom.
