I never found that to be a problem. My waterproof top loading panniers are easy enough to access when the bike is laying on it's side.

Still, I never put anything that I will want during the day in the rear panniers because the tent and sleeping pad strapped on top, so it is really only the front panniers and they are quite easy to access.

The fact of the matter is that it seldom comes up though since when I pack for the day I make sure the things that I will need for the day are accessible. I rarely go into a pannier during the day other than the one where lunch is. Other things that need quick access are either in the handlebar bag, a jersey pocket, or stuffed under a flap on a pannier.

The only time I am likely to need to open another pannier during the day is when shopping or stopping to do laundry. In either of those cases there is always a place to lean a bike.

And I am waiting to hear how wonderfully a kick stand works in the mud

I've never needed to lay my bike down in a muddy road. In fact I have seldom ridden on a muddy road when touring. I stick mostly to paved roads and sometimes gravel. We did ride through some muddy sections of road construction sometimes for 10 miles or so, but I don't recall stopping for a break at any of them. Still there were trees etc if we had needed to.

In the entirety of the Trans America, over the 73 days I am hard pressed to think of more that three times where I had to lay the bike down for lack of a place to lean it and all of them involved a flat tire, so I would have laid the bike down on it's side regardless. I laid it down scores of times just because it was easier, but there was just about always the option of stopping at a signpost, guardrail, curb, or fence if I wanted to avoid laying it down.

When picking places to take a break we look for a place we can sit, some shade if it is warm, and a place to lay or lean the bike. That has never been difficult to find other than sometimes the shade. Pretty much if there is a place to sit there is a place to lay or lean the bike. It there is no place to sit then I think I'd just as soon lean on the bike sitting on the top tube, but this situation has yet to come up.

Bottom line is that everyone makes their own choice. Those who feel that the pluses outweigh the minuses will use one and those who don't won't. I personally consider it to be a half pound or more of extra weight that offers little to no advantage. Others consider it an essential piece of equipment.

BTW: since I like to ride with a small group and draft in some conditions, I consider the type of kickstand that mounts at the rear dropout to be a potential hazard to your fellow riders in a possible collision.