Read the bill as a valuation, because nobody pays it. The game lets no player craft or research the vest, and every one comes out of a crate. The comparison that matters is the metal chest plate, the chest piece you can learn and rebuild after every death.
Your first vest goes on, as its item page says. A second one, or a spare after a good night of crates, is a box of HQM in disguise. The ordinary recycler returns half the metal, more than a chest plate takes in total, plus a couple of sewing kits. That covers the metal and part of the kits for armour you can lose without regret; craft the rest of the kits at a Level 3 bench.
Tip
Recycle the spare before a raid takes it from you. A looted vest in a box is still loot to whoever breaks in.
