Yesterday I posted in a similar thread ("compact vs triple" I think) that you really need to think about why you want a triple.

In it I wrote that not only is a compact is lighter, narrower but it is also less susceptible to dropping the chain. This seems to be part of your concern, Bluetree... and like you, often I can "fix" the dropped chain when it happens without having to stop. But to have the chain dropping as often as it seems must be VERY frustrating.

I have only ever had a double and my most recent bike (EMC2 Fem Etape Pro) is a compact and is all I need.

It has a 50-34 on the front, 27-12 (10 speed) on the back. It is all I ever need on hills.

My TT bike has bigger top end gears (53-39 on front, 26-12 on back) but I don't climb hills much on that... and yet I still can when I need to.

Good luck in your decision making.