I've used triples, "standard doubles" and compact cranks-and ridden in all types of terrain. Triples just make no sense to me....you can get the same overall gear ratios with a compact with less weight by getting the right combination of front and rear gears. But then again some folks still prefer a manual transmission in an automobile versus the industry standard.
(just seeing if I can get a reaction........seems like I've seen this discussed before!)