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I wouldn't go as far as to say it's sketchy. People have ridden with rear panniers for ages, it works but maybe it's not always the most efficient way of doing things. Current hype is all front loading, no doubt that'll change again in a few years...
atk-
Right, probably overstated that. It was sketchy on my road bike (not a touring bike) with a lot of weight - I had speed wobble if I didn't grasp the bars firmly and the flex out of the saddle was quite worrying. I also had the front wheel lifting off the ground on gradients of ~30%. The Marin will no doubt handle it better.
frankenbike
If you're going up hills I would assume you'll be out of the saddle and, as others have said, having loads of weight on the back is quite sketchy in that case. What are you bringing with you? You could put panniers on the back and e.g. your tent on the front to even out the weight a bit. Or front panniers and a bikepacking saddlebag.