Most generator guides start with the decibel figure. This one starts with the scale. If you have to lift a generator into a hatchback, carry it across a field to a tent, set it down at a tailgate or walk it down a dock, the weight decides what you can use at all, and the noise figure decides between what is left.
So this page is sorted by each maker's stated weight. Carry-size units, about 50 pounds and under, come first. Heavier and wheeled units appear only to show what the extra weight buys. The noise figures are grouped by the distance and load each maker states, and ranked only within a group. For how every brand compares at any weight, and what campgrounds allow, see the park rules section near the end.
Our picks are listed above, with full specifications for each.
Every stated weight, lightest first
These are the makers' own weights, as published on their product pages, spec tables or manuals. Where a maker says "dry", we say so.
- Honda EU1000i: 28.7 lb dry, 900 rated watts
- WEN 56235iX: 39 lb, 1,900 rated watts
- Champion 201317: 39.7 lb, 1,850 running watts
- Westinghouse iGen2800DFc: 45.4 lb, 2,200 running watts in the text, 2,000 in the table
- Champion 100705: 46.3 lb, 1,600 running watts
- Honda EU2200i and EB2200i: 47.4 lb dry, 1,800 rated watts
- Yamaha EF2200iS: 55.2 lb dry, 1,800 rated watts
- Honda EU3200i: 59.1 lb dry, 2,600 rated watts
- Champion 201318: 92.2 lb, 3,500 running watts
- WEN 56450iX: 99.2 lb, 3,500 rated watts
- Honda EU3000iS: 130.7 lb dry, 2,800 rated watts
Two things stand out. First, the jump: among the units listed here, nothing sits between 59.1 and 92.2 pounds, so the market splits into units one person carries and units on wheels. Second, watts per pound vary more than you might expect. By our arithmetic from the makers' figures, the WEN 56235iX gives about 49 watts per pound and the Champion 201317 about 47, against about 38 for the Honda EU2200i and 31 for the EU1000i. Part of what the Honda weight buys is a lower figure on a stated test.
A noise figure means little without a distance and a load. Here is what each maker states for the carry-size units, quietest first within each group.
Honda, at 1/4 load and rated load, 7 meters. Honda's chart footnote says: "Tested in accordance with ISO 9614-2, sound pressure level calculated at 23 Feet (7 meters) using the front plane of the generator (control panel side) per ASHRAE Handbook 2017."
- EU1000i, 28.7 lb: 42 dB(A) at 1/4 load, 50 at rated load
- EU2200i, EU2200i Companion and EB2200i, about 47 lb: 48 and 57
Champion, from 23 feet, load not stated. The 201317 at 39.7 lb and the 100705 at 46.3 lb both say "53 dBA from 23 feet". The extra 6.6 pounds of the 100705 buys no lower figure and fewer watts.
WEN, quarter load. The 56235iX states "51 decibels at quarter load" and no distance. The 56125i states "51 decibels (at quarter load from 22 feet away)", but WEN gives no weight for it.
Westinghouse, 25% load and 25 feet. The iGen2800DFc spec table lists 62. It is the only figure here at 25 feet.
Yamaha, 7 meters averaged over four sides. The EF2200iS manual gives 57 to 65 dB(A), 1/4 to rated load. Honda also says 7 meters, but calculates on one side, so we keep the two makers apart.
Roughly every 10 dB(A) sounds about twice as loud, so within Honda's chart the 6 dB(A) between the EU1000i and the EU2200i at 1/4 load is a clear step. Between groups, a gap of a few decibels proves nothing; our explainer on comparing decibel ratings across brands explains why. Our Honda, Champion, WEN and Westinghouse pages list every model from each maker on its own basis.
What the heavier units buy
Past 50 pounds, you get two things: more watts and, sometimes, a 30-amp outlet. Honda's EU3200i at 59.1 lb is the lightest generator Honda rates for an RV air conditioner of up to 13,500 BTU, at 54 dB(A) at 1/4 load and 58 at rated load. Its EU3000iS is quieter on the same chart, 50 and 57, but weighs 130.7 lb. WEN's 56450iX gives 3,500 rated watts at "58 dBA at quarter load, 22 feet" and 99.2 lb on wheels.
On the makers' own figures, the heavier machine is not quieter at a light load. Within Honda's chart, the EU3200i at 1/4 load is 12 dB(A) above the EU1000i and 6 above the EU2200i. Within WEN's 22 foot quarter-load figures, the 56450iX is 7 above the 56125i. A big engine loafing is still a big engine. Buy weight only when you need the watts.
Two light units instead of one heavy one
If you need about 3,500 watts but can only carry 50 pounds, the answer the makers offer is a parallel pair. Honda says two EU2200i units can be paralleled with an optional cable for up to 4,400 watts, and two EU1000i units for up to 2,000. Yamaha's manual says two EF2200iS generators in parallel reach a rated output of 3.6 kVA. Champion sells an optional parallel kit for the 201317, WEN a parallel connection kit for the 56235iX, and Westinghouse says the iGen2800DFc parallels with another compatible Westinghouse inverter, cables sold separately.
The benefit is that each trip is one 40 to 47 pound lift, and on light days you leave one at home. The cost is noise: no maker publishes a figure for two units running together, and we do not add figures up. Two engines at a light share of the load each sit near their quiet end, but there are two of them.
Run time at quarter load
A small generator has a small tank, so run time is the price of light weight. The makers' figures at 1/4 load:
- Champion 201317: 11.5 hours on 1.1 gallons
- Westinghouse iGen2800DFc: 12 hours in the text, 8 in the spec table
- Honda EU2200i: 8.1 hours on 0.95 gallon
- Honda EU1000i: 6.8 hours on 0.55 gallon
WEN quotes half load for the 56235iX, over 5.7 hours, so it does not sit in this list. For contrast, the 130.7 lb Honda EU3000iS runs 19.6 hours at 1/4 load on 3.4 gallons. If you need power through a night, a battery may suit better than a bigger tank: our guide to the quietest power stations covers what their fans do under load.
Every carry-size inverter here slows its engine at light loads, and that is why the quarter-load figure is the quiet one. Yamaha's EF2200iS manual says that with the economy control on, "the economy control unit regulates the engine speed according to the connected load. The results are better fuel consumption and less noise." It also says the switch must be turned off for devices "that require a large starting current, such as a compressor". WEN's manual tells 56450iX owners to turn Eco-Mode on "when the load is below 2625W (75% load)". Champion says its economy mode provides quieter operation.
In practice, a small generator powering lights and chargers stays near its quarter-load figure. A coffee maker, a hair dryer or a compressor fridge pushes it toward its rated-load figure, and only Honda and Yamaha publish that end. On Honda's chart, that end is 8 dB(A) above the quiet end for the EU1000i and 9 above for the EU2200i.
Carbon monoxide shutoff, and where a light generator goes
Light generators get carried close, which is exactly the risk. Every pick here has a CO shutoff: Honda CO-MINDER, Champion CO Shield, WEN Watchdog and a Westinghouse CO sensor. WEN mentions none for the 56125i. The makers are clear that a sensor is a backstop. Champion's page says "CO Shield® is not a substitute for an indoor carbon monoxide alarm or for safe operation" and "Generators must ALWAYS be used outdoors, far away from occupied buildings with engine exhaust pointed away from people and buildings." Yamaha's manual says "The CO SENSOR cannot prevent all danger associated with or caused by carbon monoxide. Pay careful attention to the location of the generator."
So the point of a light generator is that you can carry it further away: not under an awning, not in a truck bed with a cap, not beside a tent or a boat cabin. Distance is also the cheapest way to make it quieter for everyone else, as our yard noise overview explains.
RV outlets and park rules, briefly
If you need a 30-amp RV cord to plug straight in, look for a TT-30R. The lightest with a figure that states both load and distance is the Westinghouse iGen2800DFc at 45.4 lb. Westinghouse's iGen2550c also has a TT-30R, but its page gives two weights, 46 lb and 40 lb, and a bare 52 dBA. Next comes the Yamaha EF2200iS at 55.2 lb with a NEMA TT-30. Honda's 30-amp outlets are a locking type that needs an adapter.
In national parks, 36 CFR 2.12 limits generators to "60 decibels measured on the A-weighted scale at 50 feet", which is a park rule measured at 50 feet, not a figure any maker here publishes, and individual parks set their own generator hours. Our parent guide to quiet generators for camping covers both. If price is the limit, see our guide to the quietest inverter generators under $1,000.
How we chose
We read each maker's US product page, spec table or owner's manual for the generators here, and recorded each weight and noise figure in the maker's words, with the load and distance it states. We sorted by stated weight, grouped the noise figures by condition, and ranked only within a group. We left out units whose maker states no weight from the picks. Prices are each maker's list price on its own site; Champion and Yamaha show none.
We did not measure or weigh any of these generators. Every weight and noise figure here is the maker's own, and we did not convert any figure from one distance or load to another.
