Costume/textile conservator here with some questions and some concerns.
Are the guests all adults (no children/teenagers) who will be trying on the heavy tactical vest?
Will there be museum staff helping with the "taking off (the mannequin), putting on (the person), taking off (the person) and putting on (the mannequin)" process?
The handling by any and all will be bare-handed?
Is the tactical vest heavy enough and/or has components with sharp edges (i.e. fasteners; hooks; loops) or that can catch that if it is dropped on to a part of a person that the person could be hurt?
What is the cleaning protocol (never; every evening; every morning; or? and with what)?
Does the lender realize how brutal the handling may be and that it most likely will become grubby irreversibly with the bare-handed handling?
One of the on-going issues with school age children is head lice. The nits are very very small and very easy to miss on fabrics. They may be transmitted via the wearing of the tactical vest. There would be potential PR blowback if a nit outbreak is traced back to the sharing of the wearing of tactical vest.
Putting a vest on to a mannequin with arms can be a tricky operation as mannequin shoulders/arms are not flexible like human shoulders and arms. I suggest you take a look at heavy duty hangers for wet suits. There are wet suit hangers with broad paddle-like shoulders that provide support (you don't want one that folds) and can be hung from a metal coatrack (borrowed from the coat room at your museum?). Here is an example of one for sale via Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09L4CQGN9/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_4?smid=A3PJUGF9GZ36FK&th=1
Regards,
Meg
. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ______
Margaret E. Geiss-Mooney PA-AIC
(she/her/hers)
Textile/Costume Conservator &
Collections Management Consultant
National Heritage Responder
CAP Assessor
1-707-763-8694
meg@textileconservator.com
www.linkedin.com/in/margaretgeiss-mooney
'Conservator' (sp. Conservador), noun – Professional responsible for safeguarding and making cultural heritage accessible for present and future generations. The work may encompass various types of actions, including collection care, preventive conservation, among others. Source: Dictionary of Museology, Routledge and ICOM, 2023.