@paperdigits hey, I’ve been shooting panos, mostly 360°, for years.
You quickly will grow to mind it 
To start, any head will do. I started with the Panosaurus. It’s a strong and sturdy head. It’s adaptable to most lens/body combinations, it’s cheap and relatively light. Downsizes are that mounting the camera quickly becomes tiresome because it uses butterfly screws for that. I modded mine to use a quick-release mounting plate clamp so I could simply clip my camera in place, but that added weight. It is also big. I had it with me up many a mountain, but you do quickly grow tired of it.
When I bought a fisheye lens I decided to make my own head. And I wouldn’t have gotten far if not for my girl, who is an expert at metal work and has access to metal and to machines. It is tailored specifically to my lens and camera body, with no possibility of accidental misalignment. As a result of that, it is small, the smallest you can get, and with a fisheye lens offers zenith coverage. It is simply a strip of metal bent at about 45° with two holes in the right place. It’s made from stainless steel with plasma-cut holes for the camera and tripod screws. It works flawlessly. The downside is that you quickly grow to also want a quick-release plate, so adding one results in a heavy hunk of metal, and it’s only suitable for that specific camera/lens combination.
Some 360° panoramas from my abandoned website: http://londonlight.org/zp/Real-Estate/House-of-Karin/
Shot using a 10 year old DSLR, a cheap fisheye lens and the even cheaper home-made head.
I upgraded my gear this year and switched to a different camera manufacturer, and like you I also spent the last few months considering my options. Despite being young and fit, weight does end up playing a major role, especially when you’re climbing up a mountain also carrying food and water, a tent, etc. The choice came down to two: Nodal Ninja 3 MKII, or a Bushman Sandbug or Gobi (Sandbug is for mirrorless only, while Gobi is for both mirrorless and DSLR). Both allow full 360x180° coverage using fisheye or normal lenses.
If you’re beginning with panoramas, I’d say make your own, and you will quickly learn what you need.
http://wiki.panotools.org/Heads#Self_made