Old Garant pickaroon is a real back-saver

A pile of birch I split last fall at camp. Pickaroon is on top of stump.

I just finished doing some spring firewood cutting here at Nolalu and I really missed my old Garant pickaroon that I have at camp. I have a newer model here but it doesn't hold a candle to the old one with its thin, replaceable, barbed point.

Replaceable, barbed tip is what makes this tool exceptional

If you've not had the good fortune to use such a pickaroon, it works like this: with a deft flick of the wrist, you stick the point into whatever piece of wood you need to pick up, from kindling to unsplit chunks of firewood to whole logs. You can then lift the wood into position without needing to bend all the way to the ground for it. To release the pickaroon, just give a little twist as you pull up.
When I'm splitting firewood I have the pickaroon right at hand, like in the wheelbarrow, and use it to pick up each piece of wood and put it on the block without bending.
When getting trees out of the bush I cut them into lengths and then, using the pickaroon, slide them all the way to where I want them, such as the boat. This means never picking these heavy objects up.

Here I pick up a firewood piece without bending over

My old-style pickaroon still has its original handle which is about two feet in length. It is perfect for me as I pull the logs since it lifts the end of the log off the ground with my arm fully extended, an easier method than if I had to pull with my bicep muscle because my arm was bent.
Alas, as far as I can find out, Garant was the only maker of this style of pickaroon and they no longer produce it. That company and others make a heavier model these days which doesn't have the barbed point. It also has an axe-length handle which means you must grasp it partly down the shaft when dragging logs. This is more difficult than holding it by the end as you do with the shorter handle. Its thicker head also means you can't pick up tiny things like kindling.

Old faithful will even pick up kindling

Although just about everybody calls this tool a pickaroon, technically it is a hookaroon. The real pickaroon goes back to the river drives of logs and had both a pick to push with and the hook for pulling.



You can buy the standard, smooth-point pickaroon just about everywhere that sells tree-cutting equipment like chainsaws. These models are backsavers as well, even if they aren't as refined as my old favourite.


Click to go back to our website
Click to see the latest on the blog