The best features that people are always looking for when buying compact binoculars are easy to carry and lightweight. However, this does not or should not foreshadow the main reason why you are buying binoculars. Whether you are planning to take your compact binoculars out with you when you are going to watch birds or for hike, hunting or boating are important things you should always take into consideration. Since there are numerous reasons why people buy this particular optical instrument, it is good to remember that there are specifications that are fit for every purpose; this is why most people love to carry a pair of affordable compact binoculars every time they travel just in case a need arises. 
Budget: Binoculars are expensive gadgets that you don’t want to lose every time you are on the trail; some people prefer carrying cheaper compact binoculars especially when they are travelling so that if anything went wrong the impact on their wallet won’t be so big. With prices of compact ones ranging from as little as $100 to several thousand dollars, you want to make sure that your budget is figured out first.
Size: Size is perhaps one of the greatest considerations as far as compact binoculars are concerned. When you are travelling you always want to avoid any heavy stuff that will wear you down or eat up space. Even when you are going on a hike and you don’t want anything that will slow you down, a compact size will be preferable instead of a full sized binocular. Remember that when you are dealing with binoculars there are no hard rules in terms of size since manufacturers today know how to pack up all the good features into compact binoculars.
Fieldwork: Heavy full size binoculars will not cut when it comes to doing field work; unless you are carrying a tripod as you go. In most cases where someone needs to carry a tripod, they will most likely have to look for spotting scopes which are not very cheap to acquire and of course they are larger than your typical binoculars. Swinging this on your neck for a couple of hours will definitely wear you down completely.
If you are interested in traveling light, the best thing you can do for yourself is to acquire a pair of compact binoculars because of their light weight feature. There are a different makes available from all the major manufacturers and some of them are even lighter than your typical water bottle; such a pair of binocular will not bother you no matter how long they hang around your neck. You don’t have to get stressed that you are wearing eyeglasses when you are using them; with an eye relief of 18mm there is no doubt that you have sufficient room even when you are on along hike.