I posted this in the reviews (that's why it is worded as it is) section on a pop-up forum I frequent and thought it might be relevant to this discussion:
Friend of mine was shopping at Sam's Club and made me aware of these. Rated at 53dB, pretty lightweight (48lbs), good running time on econ mode and the ability to run them in parallel mode to double your power and run those pesky PUP A/C units.
These (after speaking to a Champions Rep) are available at either Sam's Club in the US or Costco in Canada. The US price is $499. The parallel kit is $85 direct from Champion Power Equipment. We picked up 2 generators and ordered the kit.
While waiting for the kit to come, we took one of the generators to tailgate at the Texans v Colts game(woohoo Texans!!) and it ran great. It's quiet sound level garnered plenty of attention from passers by.
The parallel kit came today and I rolled out and popped up the pup to try it out. The parallel kit is very nice and pops in place on top of the generator. You can stack or set them side by side. Very simple to set up. Started the gens up and hooked up the pup power and then the moment of truth. Turned on the ac and barely made them hiccup. Note, that it will not power the AC when in economy mode. The sound is about the same as a similar Honda running in it's non-econ mode.
So, for the price of a single Honda or Yamaha unit, you can get double the power and very comparable specs.
When I just need to power the basics in the pup (in late fall when you don't need to run the AC) or go tailgating I take one. If I need more power (in the Summer) then I have it. Overall, I am very happy with my purchase.
Here they are all hooked up and powering the pup:
