hi matt.
i did not use pelt mapping. i used a quick alternative to that.

first i duplicate the mesh, then average the vertices [which is iessentially what pelt mapping does] which just smooths the mesh along normals [sort of] then i uv the smoothed mesh which become 50 times easier to UV since it gets rid of any over lapping verts.
then i transfer the UVs to the original mesh

here is a pick of the workflow.
very easy.

https://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d4...uvWorkflow.jpg