Vest was born in Queanbeyan, New South Wales on the outskirts of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT).[1][3] He was educated at Grafton High School in Northern New South Wales where he played junior rugby for the Grafton Rugby Club.[3] In 2014 Vest was selected in the Waratahs under-20s team.[4]
After playing club rugby in Sydney's Shute Shield, Vest joined the North Harbour Rays (later known as Sydney Rays) in the National Rugby Championship (NRC),[5] being announced in their 32-player squad for 2017.[6] Vest had trained with the squad ahead of the 2016 season but was not selected.[7] Vest played three seasons with the Rays alongside club rugby in the Shute Shield before disruptions stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic ended the NRC.
Vest was named in the Queensland Reds' 23-man team sheet in March 2022 ahead of their fourth round fixture against the Fijian Drua in the inaugural Super Rugby Pacific season.[8] Vest played in ten matches throughout his debut season, scoring one try in the process.[9] Following his first season with the Reds, Vest signed with Auckland in New Zealand's National Provincial Championship (NPC).[10] He played in eight games, starting in four of them, all in the lock position.[9]
In Round 14 of the 2023 Super Rugby season, Vest suffered a severe neck injury while playing against the Highlanders at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin.[11][12] Vest, whom had the ball, ran head-first into opposing player Shannon Frizell, whom was trying to tackle.[13] He received a protocol head-injury assessment (HIA) by his teams medics during a pause of play. Vest failed to pass the HIA,[13] and less than two hours later was in hospital where it was revealed he had suffered a cervical fracture of the C7 vertebrae; also known as a broken neck.[13] Vest's teammate Harry Wilson was critical of referee Brendon Pickerill's actions during the incident, and stated post-match: "...as a playing group we were very frustrated with the referee trying to rush him off the field. We thought that was pretty disrespectful for a player who has just broken his neck, trying to rush him off the field as if he's wasting time."[14] The Super Rugby replied in a statement: "The comments attributed to Harry Wilson of the Reds in the media are factually incorrect and whilst they may have been well intending in support of a teammate, he has been issued with a reminder that care must be taken with public comments not to impair the public confidence in the integrity of match officials."[14]
Vest mad his return to the squad by Round 10 of the following season (2024).[9] He made most of his impact from the bench, and played six matches for the Reds overall.[9]
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