"3. delete all but 1 inset, uv mapped that by itself (the top right piece on my UV) 4. duplicate the piece around the mesh." I'm confused as to how I duplicate that around the mesh. Would I use something like the symmetry modifier?
How I did it, 1. Apply a cylinder unwrap 2. Planar map both the top and the bottom 3. delete all but 1 inset, uv mapped that by itself (the top right piece on my UV) 4. duplicate the piece around the mesh. 5. merge and done