When I first got the Kuranda bed, I was so excited; my 9 month old Bernese Mountain Dog...not so much. I thought she'd love it because she had used cheaper brands while boarding and in training, but she wouldn't go near it! I had to coax her on with liver treats. For the first few weeks, I had to put her old bed on top of the Kuranda, because I think it was the give of the cloth that she wasn't used to. I was beginning to think it was a terrible waste of money, but one day all that changed. Suddenly she couldn't get enough of it. Now it is the first place she goes. She chews her bones on it, takes her stuffed Kongs to it to eat, and just generally lazes about (for as long as a puppy can stay still). I still have the old bed, but now she wants nothing to do with it. She's never even been tempted to chew on it, except during assembly when she stole one of the legs! :-D It's a great bed for her, and I'm glad she's finally off the hard tile floor.
I bought the XL crate bed, figuring that if she didn't like it in her crate, I could just move it out and swap out the legs; I can't get the legs off to swap them, though...
The ballistic nylon is great. She just went through her second puppy shed, and it didn't have any hair clinging to it at all. It's super easy to clean.
The XL fits great in the LifeStages 1648, but I think if I decide to put it there and get another for the room, I might go one size larger. She fits just fine, but she's just pushing it.