What is SHTF Like? Real-Life Examples & Survival Tips

Many people have preconceived ideas about what is SHTF that are based on fantasy, lack of experience, and misconceptions. And, it's those misconceptions, if not prepared for and corrected, that will lead to their struggle, suffering, and in many cases, death when the shit hits the fan.

Fortunately for everyone, there are survivors alive today who can share their years of experience and lessons learned from living in and surviving real-world shit-hits-the-fan scenarios. And in today's podcast and article, we're fortunate to have one SHTF survivor here to share his experience and speak about the mindset of SHTF survival.

That SHTF survivor is Selco, who survived years of SHTF in a Balkan city under siege. Selco is an SHTF author, course creator, and regular contributor to The Organic Prepper and is here to share a wealth of SHTF survival information to help make each of us more safe, secure, and prepared.

So, don't delay! Get started with leveling up your SHTF preparedness game today!

What is the Definition of SHTF

I have this in-depth article on the SHTF meaning, where I show that Dictionary.com defines SHTF by stating, "Shit hitting the fan refers to the ultimate consequences of something turning out, well, shitty."

That's a pretty obvious answer when defining what is SHTF. However, when it comes to personal experience, Selco has years of first-hand experience living in and surviving a long-term SHTF scenario. And as a long-term SHTF event is a series of individual SHTF scenarios strung together, Selco is a definite SHTF survivor.

The SHTF Definition

Based on his experiences living in a shit-hits-the-fan situation, Selco has two definitions of what SHTF is - one for non-preppers and another for preppers.

For non-preppers, Selco's definition of SHTF is:

"An event or situation that overwhelms services and resources."

When it comes to preppers, Selco defines SHTF as:

"The moment when people realize there are no repercussions or punishments for their actions."

I believe Selco's two definitions of what is SHTF can be combined into one definition of SHTF.

The Definition of SHTF:

"An event of a situation that overwhelms services and resources, resulting in a collapse of civil order and society."

Personal Experiences in an SHTF Situation

Selco's personal experience is one in which, as his society and the rule of law collapsed, elements of organized crime and others filled the vacuum. In turn, criminal elements took over within a month of the collapse of the rule of law. This led to increased violence and daily struggle.

Based on his experience during such a scenario, Selco points out that the moment criminal elements realize there will be no consequences for their actions should indicate to non-criminals that they are in an SHTF event.

I feel that Selco is describing what Thomas Hobbes views as a person's life in the "state of nature," which he proposes will be "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short." The "state of nature" is, in Hobbes's belief, the state of human existence without the rule of law and civil society. We're talking total breakdown here - the Shit Hit the Fan.

In Selco's case, his SHTF scenario began the night the last of the police force stopped showing up to work, and from the moment lawlessness started in the streets, armed groups acted without fear of repercussions.

Two Periods of SHTF Violence

Selco noticed two distinctive periods of violence as the SHTF situation developed as the lawlessness rose. The two periods of violence in a shit hits the fan environment are:

Early violence is "sporadic and crazy violence."

Later violence is "organized violence with patterns."

Why Prepare for an SHTF Event?