Outdoor projects are the natural "habitat" for gas air compressors, which generally stink too much of gasoline fumes to be used indoors in spaces that people are expected to occupy on a regular basis (such as homes, offices, and shops) - and which may even become dangerous if the interior area is closed off enough so that the exhaust builds up enough to asphyxiate people sharing the room with the compressor. In their proper niche, however, gas air compressors have a very important role to play.
A gas air compressor is usually a bit heavier than an electric equivalent, and the weight of the gas needed to run it needs to be figured into both weight and bulk when you are planning out the way to transport it to the work site. Gas air compressors are fairly fuel efficient compared to a car engine, since less "work" must be generated in order to move the internal parts and pressurize the air.
Gas air compressors may be less portable due to their greater weight, but they are more mobile - they can be used far from any source of electricity, on a boat, at a remote construction site, or during an emergency when the electric grid is entirely down. If you have a task that needs doing far from the nearest outlet, you should seriously consider a gas powered device to operate your pneumatic tools.
These devices come in several different configurations to offer various users the functionality and pricing that they need. Hobbyists, home handy-people, and those who only use air compressors for fairly light tasks such as attaching moldings or laying down hardwood floors, will need only a small compressor that should be as portable as possible. Gas compressors in these sizes are indeed made, though they still suffer from the drawback of being hard or impossible to use indoors.
There are larger gas air compressors mounted on wheels due to their bulk, with a twenty gallon tank or larger. These are obviously best suited to one-off projects where some mobility is needed, such as framing a house, and where no electricity is available. Since most electric air compressors are limited by the length of their power cords, and should not be put on an extension cord, the building site need not be very distant from electric supplies - just far enough so that the electric compressor's cord won't reach. There is no real alternative to the gas compressor in these circumstances.
Stationary compressors are also usually larger and more powerful, but are designed to be mounted in one place rather than moved around. They are typically meant only for commercial locations where powerful ventilation can remove fumes and carbon monoxide from indoor spaces before they build up to hazardous levels.
Gas air compressors come in many shapes and sizes, for every type of project, but most of them have all the extra details that modern engineering has added to the older, more primitive machines meant to supply pressurized air. Despite their bulk, weight, and the pollution they spew, you may find them extremely useful if you often need to use pneumatic tools outdoors, far away from a ready supply of electricity.
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